WHO: 8 dead in suspected Marburg outbreak in Tanzania
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Key takeaways:
- There have been nine suspected cases and eight deaths in a suspected Marburg virus outbreak in Tanzania.
- WHO has classified the risk for regional spread to be high based on the location of the outbreak.
A suspected Marburg virus outbreak in Tanzania has been linked to nine cases and eight deaths, according to WHO.
If confirmed, it would be the second Marburg virus outbreak in the country since 2023.
WHO has classified the risk for regional spread to be high based on the location of the outbreak: the Kagera region, a strategic transit hub for travel to Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Uganda, according to agency. Neighboring Rwanda declared its first Marburg virus outbreak last year.
WHO also classified the risk for national spread in Tanzania to be high, but said the global risk is low.
“Health care workers are included among the suspected cases affected, highlighting the risk of nosocomial transmission. The source of the outbreak is currently unknown,” the agency said.
WHO said it received reports on Jan. 10 and Jan. 11 of nine people with suspected Marburg infections in the Kagera region. Eight had already died — a case fatality rate of 89%.
While samples from two patients are undergoing testing at the country’s national public health laboratory, contact tracing has identified people in two Kagera districts — including health care workers — who may have been exposed to the virus and are under follow-up.
WHO said the Kagera region of Tanzania is “well connected” through transportation networks, including air travel, highlighting the need for enhanced surveillance and coordination with bordering countries.
“We would expect further cases in coming days as disease surveillance improves,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, MD, said in a post on X.
Marburg virus, which is from the same family as the Ebola virus, has caused outbreaks across sub-Saharan Africa since it was first identified in 1967. Since 2021, outbreaks in West Africa have occurred for the first time in Guinea in 2021, Ghana in 2022 and in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania in 2023.
The outbreak in Rwanda in 2024 included 66 cases and 15 deaths between September and December. The last known case tested negative in early November, and the outbreak was declared over in late December, according to the CDC.
There are no licensed vaccines or treatments for Marburg virus, although several vaccines have reached human trials.
WHO noted that outbreaks can provide an opportunity to test the safety and effectiveness of vaccines for rare and severe diseases like Marburg that cannot be tested in traditional ways. Thousands of doses of investigational Marburg virus vaccine were sent to Rwanda during its outbreak.
“We recommend neighboring countries be on alert and prepared to manage potential cases,” Tedros said, adding, that WHO does not “recommend travel or trade restrictions with Tanzania at this time.”
References:
- CDC. Marburg. Marburg outbreak in Rwanda 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/marburg/outbreaks/rwanda-2024.html. Published Jan. 13, 2025. Accessed Jan. 15, 2025.
- Marburg virus disease — United Republic of Tanzania. https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2023-DON471. Published June 3, 2023. Accessed Jan. 15, 2025.
- Outbreak of suspected Marburg virus disease — United Republic of Tanzania. https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON552. Published Jan. 14, 2025. Accessed Jan. 15, 2025.
- Sabin sends more Marburg vaccines for Rwanda’s outbreak. https://www.sabin.org/resources/sabin-sends-more-marburg-vaccines-for-rwandas-outbreak/. Published Oct. 31, 2024. Accessed Jan. 15, 2025.
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