Tanzania has rejected the World Health Organization’s (WHO) report about a suspected new virus Marburg Outbreak in the north-western part of the country.

On Tuesday, the WHO issued an alert, claiming that there were nine suspected cases of the Marburg virus reported in the Kagera region over the past five days, including eight deaths. However, Tanzania’s Health Minister, Jenista Mhagama, responded by stating that after conducting laboratory tests, all the suspected cases were found to be negative for the Marburg virus.

In her statement, Mhagama assured both local and international bodies, including the WHO, that Tanzania had strengthened its disease surveillance systems and monitoring. She emphasized that the country would continue to keep the international community updated on any ongoing developments.

Tanzania’s First Marburg Outbreak in 2023

This denial comes less than a year after Tanzania faced its first outbreak of the Marburg virus in March 2023 in the Bukoba district, located in the same Kagera region. The earlier outbreak claimed six lives and lasted for nearly two months.

Marburg is a highly infectious disease, similar to Ebola. It has symptoms that include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, vomiting, and, in some cases, death due to severe blood loss.

WHO’s Warning on Potential Further Cases

Despite Tanzania’s dismissal of the suspected outbreak, WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, issued a warning about the possibility of further cases in the coming days. He attributed the warning to improvements in disease surveillance efforts in the region. The WHO also reported that patients, including healthcare workers, had been identified and were being closely monitored.

The global health body added that Tanzania’s rapid response teams were deployed to help identify potential cases and contain any possible spread. According to WHO, the Kagera region is a major transit hub with significant cross-border movement to neighboring countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Burundi, and Rwanda. This movement heightens the potential risk of the virus spreading.

However, the WHO clarified that it did not recommend travel or trade restrictions with Tanzania at this time, and the global risk posed by the outbreak remained “low.” The organization further stated that there were no immediate concerns about the disease spreading internationally.

Response to the Suspected Cases

In response to the WHO’s report, Tanzania sent a team of experts to the Kagera region. The team collected specimens to investigate the suspected cases further. Tanzania’s Health Minister confirmed that laboratory results had ruled out the Marburg virus as the cause, although she did not provide details on the exact number of suspected cases that were investigated.

In neighboring Rwanda, a Marburg outbreak was declared over in December 2023, after infecting 66 people and causing 15 deaths.

Marburg Virus: Transmission and Risks

The Marburg virus is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and can spread through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals. According to the WHO, the virus has a fatality rate of around 50%, although this can vary depending on the outbreak and the quality of medical care available.

Currently, there is no specific treatment or vaccine for the Marburg virus, though clinical trials for potential vaccines and treatments are ongoing.

As the situation in Tanzania develops, global health authorities continue to monitor the region closely while emphasizing the importance of continued vigilance to prevent further outbreaks.