Tanzania Confirms Marburg Virus Outbreak After Initial Denial

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Tanzania has confirmed a case of the Marburg virus in a remote area of northern Tanzania, as reported by President Samia Suluhu Hassan on Monday. This announcement follows earlier reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) on January 14 suggesting an outbreak in the Kagera region that had resulted in eight fatalities. Initially, Tanzanian health officials dismissed the WHO's report, stating that preliminary tests were negative. However, further testing has now confirmed one positive case, while 25 additional samples returned negative results.

The Marburg virus, which is highly infectious and can have a fatality rate of up to 88% without treatment, is similar to the Ebola virus. It is transmitted from fruit bats to humans and can spread through close contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces. The symptoms of Marburg infection include fever, muscle pains, vomiting, diarrhea, and in severe cases, death due to extreme bleeding.

This incident marks the second outbreak of the Marburg virus in Kagera since 2023. A month prior, Rwanda, which shares a border with Kagera, declared its own outbreak over, having reported 15 deaths and 66 cases among health care workers involved in the initial response.

President Hassan expressed confidence in Tanzania's ability to manage and overcome the virus outbreak.

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