Marburg Virus Epidemic Reported in Tanzania: WHO Urges Increased Surveillance and Treatment

Tanzania has recently reported its first epidemic of the Marburg virus, a deadly illness that is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and is related to Ebola. The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised African health officials to increase surveillance and clinical treatment to help prevent the further spread of the disease.

According to the WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, eight Marburg cases, including five fatalities, have been recorded in Tanzania since an epidemic was initially reported in the west African nation last month. There are no licensed vaccinations or antivirals to treat the sickness, thus patients are treated with rehydration and clinical care.

The Marburg epidemic in Tanzania included 161 contacts, and Uganda and Kenya, its east African neighbors, have increased border monitoring to assist limit transmission. Following the fatalities in Tanzania, the WHO has issued a warning about the spread of the Marburg virus.

Tanzania’s Health Minister, Ummy Mwalimu, stated that her administration has managed to reduce the number of new Marburg illnesses, and so far, it has not been recorded outside the afflicted region. The WHO has described the outbreak’s risk as “very high” at the national level, “moderate” at the regional level, and “low” at the global level.

According to the WHO, the Marburg virus can have an incubation period ranging from two to 21 days. The virus may be traced back to laboratory work on African green monkeys in the German city of Marburg, where the first cases were discovered in 1967, along with outbreaks in Frankfurt and Belgrade. Recurring outbreaks have been reported throughout Africa since the initial cases in South Africa in 1975.

The WHO is working “extremely closely” with Cameroon and Gabon, Equatorial Guinea’s neighbors, as some of the most recent cases were in border regions. The subregional danger was described as “extremely high” by the WHO, with the virus being traced around 150 kilometers apart in Equatorial Guinea, suggesting widespread transmission.