Politics Eight dead in suspected Marburg virus outbreak in Tanzania
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), eight people have died in a suspected outbreak of the Marburg virus in Tanzania. The risk of further spread in the East African country is high, the WHO said on Tuesday.
15.01.2025, 06:21
SDA
The organization had already informed its member countries on Monday about the suspected outbreak of the viral disease in the Tanzanian region of Kagera. "So far, we are aware of nine cases, including eight people who have died," explained WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in the online service X.
"We expect more cases in the coming days as disease surveillance improves," he continued. "WHO has offered its full support to the government of Tanzania and affected communities."
The WHO explained that the risk is high both in the country and for the region. The latter is due to Kagera's "strategic location" as a "transit hub with significant cross-border population movements to Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo".
High mortality rate
The Marburg virus comes from the same family of pathogens as the Ebola virus. It spreads among humans primarily through contact with bodily fluids. Symptoms include high fever and diarrhea, and in severe cases, bleeding and organ failure.
According to the WHO, the mortality rate is up to 89%. There are currently no approved vaccines or antiviral drugs. A vaccination campaign with an experimental vaccine began in Rwanda in October.
