https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/marburg/suspected-marburg-virus-outbreak-reported-tanzania
Suspected Marburg virus outbreak reported in Tanzania
Lisa Schnirring
Today at 2:44 p.m.
Marburg
Viral Hemorrhagic Fever
The group said it received report on January 10 from reliable in-country sources of six suspected cases in Kagera region, five of them fatal. The patients had similar viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) symptoms, which included headache, high fever, muscle pain, diarrhea, and vomiting with blood.
As of January 11, nine suspected cases were reported, eight of them fatal. The WHO said health workers are among the suspected cases, which it said underscores the high risk of healthcare-related transmission. VHF pathogens spread among humans through contact with infected body fluids.
Kagera region is in the far northwestern part of the country on the border with Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. The WHO said the patients are from two neighboring districts, Biharamulo and Muleba.
Earlier outbreak struck same region in 2023
Samples from two patients have been collected and tested by Tanzania’s National Public Health Laboratory, and results are pending official confirmation.
“Contacts, including healthcare workers, are reported to have been identified and under follow-up in both districts,” the WHO said in its statement.
Currently, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for Marburg virus infection, though an investigational Marburg vaccine from the Sabin Vaccine Institute was deployed in Rwanda’s outbreak last year to protect health workers in conjunction with a clinical trial.
In March 2023, Tanzania reported its first Marburg virus outbreak, which also occurred in Kagera region. The outbreak was declared over in June 2023, with nine infections reported, six of them fatal.
The WHO said zoonotic reservoirs of the virus, such as fruit bats, remain in the area.
WHO notes cross-border threats nearby countries
In its risk assessment, the WHO said the threat to Tanzania is high, due to the high case-fatality rate, infections among health workers, and unknown source of the virus. It added that the risk to the region is also high due to Kagera’s transit hub location, which sees significant cross-border movement to the three neighboring countries, as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The WHO put the global risk at low and said though Kagera region isn’t close to Tanzania’s capital or major international airports, it does have an airport that connects to Dar es Salaam for flights outside Tanzania.
Suspected Marburg virus outbreak reported in Tanzania
Lisa Schnirring
Today at 2:44 p.m.
Marburg
Viral Hemorrhagic Fever
The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday announced a suspected Marburg virus outbreak affecting a part of Tanzania that has previously experienced an outbreak.The group said it received report on January 10 from reliable in-country sources of six suspected cases in Kagera region, five of them fatal. The patients had similar viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) symptoms, which included headache, high fever, muscle pain, diarrhea, and vomiting with blood.
As of January 11, nine suspected cases were reported, eight of them fatal. The WHO said health workers are among the suspected cases, which it said underscores the high risk of healthcare-related transmission. VHF pathogens spread among humans through contact with infected body fluids.
Kagera region is in the far northwestern part of the country on the border with Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. The WHO said the patients are from two neighboring districts, Biharamulo and Muleba.
Earlier outbreak struck same region in 2023
Samples from two patients have been collected and tested by Tanzania’s National Public Health Laboratory, and results are pending official confirmation.
“Contacts, including healthcare workers, are reported to have been identified and under follow-up in both districts,” the WHO said in its statement.
Currently, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for Marburg virus infection, though an investigational Marburg vaccine from the Sabin Vaccine Institute was deployed in Rwanda’s outbreak last year to protect health workers in conjunction with a clinical trial.
In March 2023, Tanzania reported its first Marburg virus outbreak, which also occurred in Kagera region. The outbreak was declared over in June 2023, with nine infections reported, six of them fatal.
The WHO said zoonotic reservoirs of the virus, such as fruit bats, remain in the area.
WHO notes cross-border threats nearby countries
In its risk assessment, the WHO said the threat to Tanzania is high, due to the high case-fatality rate, infections among health workers, and unknown source of the virus. It added that the risk to the region is also high due to Kagera’s transit hub location, which sees significant cross-border movement to the three neighboring countries, as well as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The WHO put the global risk at low and said though Kagera region isn’t close to Tanzania’s capital or major international airports, it does have an airport that connects to Dar es Salaam for flights outside Tanzania.