A total of 25 suspected cases have been reported as of 20 January 2025, all of whom have tested negative and are currently under close follow-up, the president said. The cases have been reported in Biharamulo district in Kagera.
Marburg Virus /HANDOUT
Tanzania has
at last confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease, after days of denial.
Last week, Tanzania
had dismissed a World Health Organisation (WHO) report of a suspected new
outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in the northwestern Kagera
region.
WHO had
said a total of nine suspected cases were reported over the last five days in
the Kagera region, including eight deaths.
But in a
statement, Tanzania's Health Minister Jenista Mhagama said after samples were
analysed, all suspected cases were found negative for Marburg virus.
We "would like to assure the international
organisations, including WHO that we shall always keep them up to date with
ongoing developments," Mhagama said.
This week,
the country made an about-turn with President Samia Suluhu Hassan admitting an outbreak is ongoing.
However,
she still denied that there were deaths caused by the disease.
“Laboratory tests conducted at Kabaile Mobile Laboratory in
Kagera and later confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one patient as being
infected with the Marburg virus. Fortunately, the remaining suspected patients
tested negative,” the president said. “We have demonstrated in the past our
ability to contain a similar outbreak and are determined to do the same this
time around.”
She made
the announcement during a press briefing alongside WHO Director-General, Dr
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in the country’s administrative capital Dodoma.
A total of 25 suspected cases have been reported as of 20
January 2025, all of whom have tested negative and are currently under close
follow-up, the president said. The cases have been reported in Biharamulo
district in Kagera.
“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,”
said President Hassan.
WHO said it
is supporting Tanzanian health authorities to enhance key outbreak control
measures including disease surveillance, testing, treatment, infection
prevention and control, case management, as well as increasing public awareness
among communities to prevent further spread of the virus.
“WHO, working with its partners, is committed to supporting
the government of Tanzania to bring the outbreak under control as soon as
possible, and to build a healthier, safer, fairer future for all the people of
Tanzania,” said Dr Tedros. “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.”
Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes
haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes
Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients
present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop
severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.
“The declaration by the president and the measures being
taken by the government are crucial in addressing the threat of this disease at
the local and national levels as well as preventing potential cross-border
spread,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “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,”
Tanzania previously reported an outbreak of Marburg in March
2023 – the country’s first – in Kagera region, in which a total of nine cases
(eight confirmed and one probable) and six deaths were reported, with a case
fatality ratio of 67%.
In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases
have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana,
Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
Marburg virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and
spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected
people, surfaces and materials.
Although several
promising candidate medical countermeasures are currently undergoing clinical
trials, there is no licensed treatment or vaccine for effective management or
prevention of Marburg virus disease. However, early access to treatment and
supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment
of specific symptoms, improve survival.
Marburg Virus /HANDOUT