Tanzania Rejects the WHO’s Report on the Potential Marburg Outbreak in Kagera

Tanzania has refuted the World Health Organization’s report regarding a potential Marburg virus outbreak, verifying that all cases in Kagera were negative.

Tanzania has denied allegations contained in a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) concerning the potential recurrence of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in the Kagera region of the country’s northwestern region.

The WHO reported nine suspected cases of the virus over the previous five days, including eight fatalities, in a statement on Tuesday. Nevertheless, Tanzania’s Minister of Health, Jenista Mhagama, declared that laboratory analysis of samples had verified that all cases were negative for Marburg virus disease.

Minister Mhagama confirmed that the nation had enhanced its disease surveillance and monitoring systems. She ensured international organizations, such as the World Health Organization, of Tanzania’s dedication to furnishing timely information regarding public health advancements.

In March 2023, the Bukoba district of Tanzania experienced the first Marburg outbreak, which resulted in the loss of six lives and lasted for nearly two months. The disease, which is extremely infectious and exhibits symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and severe blood loss in some cases, is similar to Ebola.

On Wednesday, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued a warning regarding the potential for additional cases as surveillance improves, despite Tanzania’s dismissal of the current suspected cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that rapid response teams had been deployed to contain the situation and that patients, including healthcare personnel, were under monitoring.

The WHO issued a warning that the risk of the disease spreading within the region was still substantial, as Kagera functions as a transit center and is involved in extensive cross-border movements that involve the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda. Nevertheless, the organization did not suggest any travel or trade restrictions with Tanzania, and Dr. Tedros maintained that the global risk from the suspected outbreak was at a low level.

Minister Mhagama verified that team of experts were dispatched to Kagera to conduct an investigation, collect samples, and exclude the possibility of a Marburg outbreak. She did not specify the precise number of cases that were investigated.

The Marburg virus, which has a fatality rate of approximately 50%, is transmitted from fruit bats to humans and is contagious through contact with bodily secretions of infected humans. Currently, there are no approved vaccines or specific remedies for the virus, although research is ongoing.

The virus had been successfully contained in neighboring Rwanda, which proclaimed a Marburg outbreak in December 2024. The virus had infected 66 individuals and resulted in 15 fatalities.