Tanzania has confirmed the outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in the Northwestern Kagera region, following the identification of one positive case after laboratory analysis of suspected cases.
This was announced on Monday by Tanzania’s President Samia Hassan during a press briefing in the country’s capital, Dodoma, alongside the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus.
WHO recently issued an alert on a suspected outbreak of Marburg disease in the Kagera region, with eight reported deaths out of nine cases.
The global health body raised concerns about cross-border transmission due to the proximity of the Kagera region to international borders with Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the press release on the website of the WHO Africa Region, laboratory tests confirmed one patient was infected with the Marburg virus, while other suspected patients tested negative.
Hassan expressed confidence in the country’s ability to contain the outbreak, citing past successes in managing similar health crises.
She noted that a total of 25 suspected cases have been reported as of 20 January, all of whom have tested negative and are currently under close follow-up. The cases have been reported in Biharamulo district in Kagera.
