Tanzania announced a new case of Marburg virus disease on Monday in the Kagera region, in the northwest of the country.
The announcement was made by President Samia Suluhu Hassan at a press conference in Dodoma, in the presence of the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Laboratory tests carried out at the Kabaile mobile laboratory in Kagera and later confirmed in Dar es Salaam have identified a patient as being infected with the Marburg virus,” said the Tanzanian president.
However, she said that “the other suspected patients tested negative.”
According to health authorities, 25 suspected cases were reported as of January 20, 2025, in the Biharamulo and Muleba districts of Kagera. All tested negative and are being closely monitored.
Faced with this situation, WHO has committed to working alongside the Tanzanian government.
“WHO, in collaboration with its partners, is committed to helping the Tanzanian government bring the outbreak under control as soon as possible and to build a healthier, safer and fairer future for all Tanzanians,” said Dr. Tedros.
This is not the first time the country has faced this disease. Tanzania had already experienced a Marburg outbreak in March 2023 in the same Kagera region, with “a total of nine cases (eight confirmed and one probable) and six deaths,” a mortality rate of 67%.
The Marburg virus, which belongs to the same family as the Ebola virus, is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and spreads through direct contact with the body fluids of infected people.
To date, there is no approved treatment or vaccine for this highly virulent disease, although several medical countermeasures are undergoing clinical trials.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, stressed that “the president’s declaration and the measures taken by the government are crucial to address the threat of this disease at the local and national levels as well as to prevent possible cross-border spread.”
ARD/te/sf/lb/as/APA