Tanzania rejects suspected Marburg outbreak after WHO alert in Kagera region

We “want to assure international organizations, including the WHO that we will continue to keep them updated with ongoing developments,” Mhagama said.

Tanzania experienced its first Marburg outbreak in March 2023 in Bukoba district. It killed six people and lasted for almost two months.

The highly contagious disease is similar to Ebola, with symptoms including fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, vomiting and, in some cases, death from extreme blood loss.

On Wednesday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned of “further cases in the coming days as disease surveillance increases” in the latest suspected outbreak in Tanzania.

WHO reported that patients, including health workers, have been identified and monitored.

It added that the country’s rapid response team has been deployed to help identify suspected cases and contain the outbreak.

The WHO warned that the risk of suspected virus transmission in the region remains “high” because Kagera is a transit hub with many cross-border movements to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda.

“We are not recommending travel or trade restrictions with Tanzania at this time,” Dr Tedros said in X.

WHO says the global risk posed by the outbreak is “low”, and there are no concerns at this stage of the disease spreading internationally.

Following the report, a team of experts was immediately sent to the Kagera region, where they collected specimens, Tanzania’s health minister said.

He said laboratory results had ruled out a suspected Marburg outbreak but the minister did not clarify the total number of suspected cases under investigation.

In December, neighboring Rwanda declared the outbreak in the country, which had infected 66 people and killed 15, was over.

On average, the Marburg virus kills half of the people it infects, In additionBased on WHO.

Marburg virus is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and then through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

There is no specific treatment or vaccine for the virus, although trials are still underway.