Tanzania confirms outbreak of Marburg virus disease

DAR ES SALAAM - Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Monday confirmed the country's second outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in two years.

Speaking at a joint news conference with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Hassan said that laboratory tests conducted at the Kabaile mobile laboratory in the northwestern Kagera region and later confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one person in Biharamulo District as infected with MVD.

"Following rumors of an outbreak of MVD in the Kagera region, the government took several measures, including investigating suspected individuals in the affected areas," she said.

Hassan said that health authorities worked closely with local community leaders to enhance surveillance, establish emergency response teams, and implement additional safety measures.

"Fortunately, the remaining suspected patients tested negative for other illnesses. This confirmed that the Marburg virus case marks the second outbreak of this disease in our country," she said.

The WHO released a statement last week, saying that the agency had informed its member states of an outbreak of suspected MVD in Kagera.

In March 2023, Tanzania experienced its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease, a rare and deadly hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola. That outbreak also occurred in the Kagera region, which borders Uganda and Rwanda.