The World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced that a suspected outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in Tanzania has claimed eight lives.
The outbreak, reported in the Kagera region, has raised concerns about further spread within the country and the surrounding region, with WHO labeling the risk as “high.”
According to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, nine cases have been identified so far, including eight fatalities. “We would expect further cases in coming days as disease surveillance improves,” Tedros stated on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The United Nations health agency revealed that it had informed its member states of the outbreak on Monday. WHO emphasized its commitment to supporting Tanzania’s government and affected communities in containing the situation and mitigating further risks.
The Marburg virus, a highly infectious pathogen in the same family as Ebola, causes severe hemorrhagic fever with high fatality rates.
