The death toll from the Marburg virus in Angola has now risen to 155. There have been 175 reported cases of the disease which now has a higher death rate than its cousin, the ebola virus. It also makes this the deadliest ever recorded outbreak of the Marburg virus.

Scientists are not sure why the death rate for this strain of the virus is hovering around 90 percent. Usually, the fatality rate is approximately 33 percent. Furthermore, almost all of the victims in this outbreak are young children. 75 percent of those infected were under the age of five.

Fred Murphy, a virologist at the University of California in Davis told National Geographic, 'Indeed there could be different pathotypes [degrees of virulence] of the Marburg virus. But when you see the pathology of human infections caused by Ebola or Marburg, the question becomes, How does anyone survive? The infection … is devastating, rapid course, with extreme damage to key tissues.'

Scientists are hopeful that the disease will not spread and that the virus is on the wane in Angola. So far, the Marburg virus has been limited to isolated rural areas of the country. When patients are hospitalized, precautions can be taken to prevent the spread of the virus.