Eight dead in suspected Marburg virus outbreak in Tanzania
WHO warns of ‘high’ risk to region from Ebola-like disease which causes often-fatal haemorrhagic fever
The World Health Organisation has reported that eight individuals have succumbed to what is suspected to be a Marburg outbreak, a haemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola, at a transit hub in Tanzania.
The potential outbreak in the Kagera region of northeastern Tanzania, where the country’s initial Marburg cases were identified last March, has raised alarms. The geographical spread and notable death toll indicate that additional cases may be circulating undetected.
So far, nine people have been infected with suspected Marburg, with samples currently in a laboratory for official confirmation. Their symptoms included headaches, high fever, back pain, vomiting blood and, in the most serious cases, bleeding from their orifices.
Already, eight people have already died, resulting in a high case fatality rate of 89 per cent.
Some of the victims are healthcare workers, who are at considerable risk in the early days of a Marburg outbreak.
The virus spreads among humans through direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood, saliva, mucus.
As early symptoms can be similar to more common diseases including malaria, doctors and nurses may not initially realise the threat.
Often, by the time the cause is determined as Marburg, it is too late and they have already contracted the virus.
The geographical distribution of the pathogen has raised concerns for the WHO. The Kagera region, located to the west of Lake Victoria and bordered by Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi, serves as a crucial transit hub. The area experiences considerable cross-border movement, and Marburg cases have already been identified in the districts of Biharamulo and Muleba.
The outbreak in Tanzania comes less than a month after a Marburg outbreak in neighbouring Rwanda was officially declared over.
In total, 66 people were infected (roughly 80 per cent were healthcare workers) and 15 people died,
