Tanzania Confirms Marburg Virus Outbreak in Kagera Region, One Case Reported

Jan 20, 2025, 02:43 PM

Tanzania has confirmed an outbreak of the Marburg virus in the Kagera region, with one confirmed case reported. President Samia Suluhu Hassan announced the outbreak, reversing earlier statements from health officials who had dismissed reports of the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) had previously raised concerns about a potential outbreak after documenting nine suspected cases and eight deaths in the region. The WHO is working closely with the Tanzanian government to manage the outbreak, with WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus meeting with President Hassan to assess the situation. The government has scaled up its response efforts, including enhancing case detection and deploying national response teams. Tanzania experienced a previous Marburg outbreak in the same region in March 2023, which resulted in nine cases and six deaths.