Tanzanian President and WHO confirmed Marburg virus outbreak

January 23, Tanzania: Tanzanian President Samis Sululu Hassan has declared an outbreak of the Marburg virus after its health ministry had previously denied the outbreak.

The Tanzanian President announced the outbreak in a press conference with the World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in the capital of Dodoma on Monday this week.

She said in a statement, “Laboratory tests conducted at Kabaile Mobile Laboratory in Kagera and later confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one patient as being infected with the Marburg virus”

Jean Kaseya who is director-general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has pledged support and help to Tanzania in managing the virus outbreak. He said “To support the government’s efforts, we are committing $2 million to bolster immediate response measures, including deploying public health experts, strengthening diagnostics, and enhancing case management”

The World Health Organization warned of a suspected Marburg outbreak on Jan 14. It was after nine suspected cases were identified resulting in eight deaths in the country’s northwest region. As of January 21, 2025, a team of 12 public health experts is being deployed to assist in surveillance, diagnostics, case management, and community engagement efforts.

The Marburg virus outbreak in Tanzania has marked the country’s second encounter with a deadly virus, following a previous outbreak in March 2023 that resulted in nine cases and six deaths. Tanzanian authorities ensure coordinated efforts and secure high-level political commitment for the response.

The virus is a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic illness transmitted from fruit bats to humans, with human-to-human transmission occurring through direct contact with an infected person’s body fluids or contaminated materials.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting Tanzania’s response efforts, with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pledging to help bring the outbreak under control as soon as possible. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Level of travel health notice for Tanzania and said there are no cases of the Marburg virus in the United States.

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