Suspected outbreak of deadly Marburg virus disease kills eight in Tanzania
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Healthcare workers among suspected cases of Ebola-like disease as WHO issues warning of high risk to the country and its neighbours. A suspected outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Tanzania has killed eight people and poses a high risk to the country and its neighbours, global health leaders have said.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said nine suspected cases of the Ebola-like virus had been reported as of 11 January, in two districts of the Kagera region in the north of the country, including the eight deaths. While the global risk from the outbreak is considered low, officials said the risk in Tanzania and the region was considered high.
Patients’ symptoms included headaches, high fevers, back pain, diarrhoea, vomiting with blood and weakness, followed by bleeding from orifices at a later stage of the disease. In a statement, the WHO said: “The reporting of suspected MVD cases from two districts suggests geographic spread. The delayed detection and isolation of cases, coupled with ongoing contact tracing, indicates lack of full information of the current outbreak. More cases are expected to be identified.”.
It also emphasised the high death rate of 89%, and the fact that healthcare workers are among suspected cases, potentially indicating spread within health facilities. Kagera borders Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, with significant cross-border movement of people, and the WHO said there was “the potential for spread into neighbouring countries”.
