A suspected outbreak of Marburg disease has been reported in Tanzania, where eight of nine detected cases resulted in death, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The regional risk of disease spread has been classified as “high”.
On Wednesday, WHO informed Member States of a suspected outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in the Kagera region of Tanzania, located in East Africa, following reliable reports from sources in the country.
WHO received initial reports last Friday of six people suspected of having MVD, five of whom died. The toll rose the next day to nine suspected cases and eight deaths. Samples were taken from two patients, with the results awaiting official confirmation.
Healthcare workers are among the suspected cases, according to the WHO. The source of the outbreak remains unknown.
The cases presented with symptoms such as headache, high fever, back pain, diarrhea, hematemesis (vomiting blood), malaise (body weakness) and, in the later stages of the disease, external hemorrhage (bleeding from the orifices), a declared the WHO.
The threat level of the outbreak was assessed as “high” nationally due to several concerning factors, the WHO said. These include the geographic spread of the disease, as cases were detected in two districts of Tanzania, as well as the delay in detection and isolation of cases, indicating incomplete information about the outbreak.
The regional threat level was also declared “high” due to the area’s strategic location as a transit hub with significant cross-border population movements to neighboring countries, including Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The WHO highlighted that “some of the suspected cases are in districts close to international borders, highlighting the potential for spread to neighboring countries.”
Globally, the threat level is considered “low”, but the WHO has expressed concerns about potential risks from the region’s transport networks. These include an airport in the region that connects to the country’s capital, Dar es Salaam, and facilitates travel outside Tanzania.
This is the second outbreak reported in Tanzania since the virus was first identified in 1967. The first outbreak in the country occurred two years ago, lasted almost two months and resulted in at least nine cases and six deaths.