The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned of a suspected new outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in north-west Tanzania. At least eight people have been killed by the disease, with nine more suspected cases reported in the Kagera region over the last five days.
Symptoms of the highly-infectious disease include fever, muscle pains, and diarrhoea. If left untreated, it can cause extreme blood loss leading to death. The WHO has deployed rapid response teams to help identify suspected cases and contain the outbreak.
The country’s authorities have not yet confirmed the latest outbreak, but patients including healthcare workers are being monitored. The global risk posed by the outbreak is currently “low”, with no concerns about international spread.
This is not the first time Tanzania has faced a Marburg outbreak, with the Bukoba district experiencing its first outbreak in March 2023, which killed six people and lasted for nearly two months.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62737zqn68o