Abu Dhabi:The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed travelers from Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania, African countries affected by the Marburg virus outbreak, to refrain from traveling to the UAE. Marburg virus is a virus that spreads from animals to humans and belongs to the filovirus family, which includes the Ebola virus. If infected, the probability of death can be up to 88%. So far, 14 deaths have been reported in the two countries where the virus has spread.

The virus can be transmitted from humans to other people through blood and other body fluids. Symptoms include fever, headache, and bleeding. The first outbreak of the Marburg virus was reported in the city of Marburg, Germany in 1967. To date, no vaccines or drugs have been found to effectively treat the virus.