Tanzania declares outbreak of Marburg virus after one confirmed case

Tanzania has confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease after one person tested positive in the Kagera region.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan made the announcement during a press briefing alongside Tedros Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general.

Marburg virus is a highly infectious haemorrhagic fever in the same family as Ebola. It is spread by fruit bats and transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people and surfaces.

Illness begins abruptly and many patients develop severe haemorrhagic signs within seven days. There are no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments against the disease.

The president said 25 suspected cases have been reported as of January 20, 2025, all of whom tested negative and are currently under close examination.

“We have demonstrated in the past our ability to contain a similar outbreak and are determined to do the same this time around,” she said.

“We have resolved to reassure the general public in Tanzania and the international community as a whole of our collective determination to address the global health challenges, including the Marburg virus disease.”

The WHO director-general said the organisation is working with partners and is committed to supporting the government of Tanzania to bring the outbreak under control as soon as possible.

“Now is a time for collaboration, and commitment, to protecting the health of all people in Tanzania, and the region, from the risks posed by this disease,” he said.

Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said the declaration by the president and the measures being taken are crucial in addressing the threat of the disease at local and national levels.

“Our priority is to support the government to rapidly scale up measures to effectively respond to this outbreak and safeguard the health of the population,” she said.

Tanzania previously reported an outbreak of Marburg in March 2023 — the country’s first — in Kagera.

Nine cases (eight confirmed and one probable) and six deaths were reported, with a case fatality ratio of 67 percent.

Outbreaks of Marburg virus have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.