The World Health Organisation, WHO, has confirmed that the suspected outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in Tanzania killed no fewer than eight people, warning that the risk of further spread in the country and region was high.
WHO said it had informed its member states of an outbreak of suspected Marburg Virus Disease, MVD, in the Kagera region of Tanzania.
The Director-General the UN health agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made this disclosure in a post on X.
“We are aware of nine cases so far, including eight people who have died. We would expect further cases in coming days as disease surveillance improves.
“WHO has offered its full assistance to the government of Tanzania, and to affected communities,” he said.
The announcement came less than a month after WHO declared over a three-month Marburg outbreak in neighbouring Rwanda, which killed 15 people.
DAILY POST reports that Marburg causes a highly infectious haemorrhagic fever. It is transmitted from fruit bats and belongs to the same family of viruses as Ebola.
With a fatality rate that can reach close to 90 percent, Marburg’s fever is often accompanied by bleeding and organ failure.
According to WHO, the Kagera region experienced its first Marburg outbreak in March 2023, lasting for nearly two months, with nine cases including six deaths.
The UN health agency pointed out that zoonotic reservoirs, such as fruit bats, remain endemic to the area.
WHO said it assessed the risk at the national level as high due to several concerning factors.
It also estimated the regional risk as high due to Kagera’s strategic location as a transit hub with significant cross-border movement of population to Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.