Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan confirms an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus, with one confirmed case. The WHO pledges $3 million in support to contain the outbreak.
Tanzania 's President Samia Suluhu Hassan confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the northwest of the country on Monday, with one confirmed case so far. She made the announcement at a press conference attended by World Health Organization ( WHO ) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in Dodoma. Laboratory tests conducted at Kabaile Mobile Laboratory in Kagera and later confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one patient as being infected by the Marburg virus, Hassan said.
Last week, Tanzania's health minister denied the existence of an outbreak, stating that no one had tested positive for the viral infection. This denial came after the WHO reported receiving reliable information about eight deaths suspected to be caused by the virus in the same area on January 10. The victims exhibited typical Marburg symptoms, including headache, high fever, back pain, diarrhea, vomiting blood, muscle weakness, and external bleeding. The viral hemorrhagic fever carries a fatality rate as high as 88% and originates from the same virus family as Ebola. Ebola is transmitted to humans from fruit bats native to parts of East Africa. Hassan stated that the government has intensified its response efforts and dispatched a rapid response team to the affected area. The team will investigate all suspected cases and attempt to contain the outbreak. Tedros announced that the WHO would allocate $3 million from its emergency contingency fund to support efforts to control the outbreak in Tanzania. This marks the second reported outbreak of the disease in Kagera. In 2023, a total of nine cases were recorded, resulting in six deaths. Tedros expressed optimism that the government's investments in responding to the previous outbreak have built capabilities that will enable Tanzania to effectively manage this latest outbreak.
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