Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) stated on Tuesday that a suspicion of an epidemic of the deadly Marburg virus in Tanzania had killed eight people, warning that the risk of further succession in the country and region was “high”.
The United Nations Health Service said it had informed its Member States on Monday of a “outbreak of suspicious Marburg (MVD) disease in the Kagera area”, Tanzania.
“We know so far nine cases, including eight people who have died. We will expect further cases in the coming days as the disease surveillance improves,” said head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the social media platform.
“Who has offered his full assistance to the Tanzanian government and to the affected communities.”
The announcement came less than a month after its declaration of three -month Marburg event in neighboring Rwanda, which killed 15 people.
Marburg causes an extremely infectious hemorrhagic fever. It is transmitted by fruit bats and belongs to the same family of viruses as Ebola.
With a mortality rate that can reach almost 90%, Marburg fever is often accompanied by bleeding and organ deficiency.
The Kagera area presented its first Marburg epidemic in March 2023, which lasts nearly two months, with nine cases, including six deaths, who said.
He points out that “the animal tanks, such as fruit bats, remain endemic to the area”.
Who stated that he evaluated the risk at national level as “high” because of many factors concerning.
These included the highly known mortality rate of 89%, that “the source of the epidemic is currently unknown” and that the cases were reported by two areas, indicating “geographical spread”.
“The delayed detection and isolation of cases, coupled with the ongoing contact of contacts,” showed the lack of “complete information” about the epidemic, he said.
The UN Health Organization also appreciates regional danger as “high” because of Kagera’s strategic position as a transit hub with significant cross -border movement in Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Congo People’s Republic. “
Reportedly, some of the suspicious cases were in regions near international border, he said, “underlining the possibility of spreading to neighboring countries”.
“We recommend that neighboring countries are warning and ready to manage possible cases. We do not recommend travel or commercial restrictions with Tanzania right now,” Tedros told X.
Who pointed out that Marburg does not spread easily and usually requires contact with the body fluids of a patient with clear symptoms.
“However, it cannot be ruled out that a person exposed to the virus can travel,” he said.
He appreciated the global danger as “low”, noting that there was no confirmation of international spread at this stage, but stressing the need for enhanced surveillance.
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