Tanzania has rejected a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) about a suspected new outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in the north-west of the country.
On Tuesday, the global health agency announced that a total of nine suspected cases, including eight deaths, had been reported in the Kagera region in the past five days.
But in a statement, Tanzanian Health Minister Jenista Mhagama said after analyzing the samples, all the suspected cases tested negative for the Marburg virus.
She said the country has strengthened its disease surveillance and monitoring systems.
“We would like to assure international organizations, including the WHO that we will always keep them informed of developments,” Mhagama said.
Tanzania experienced its first Marburg outbreak in March 2023 in Bukoba District. It killed six people and lasted almost two months.
This highly contagious disease is similar to Ebola, with symptoms that include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, vomiting and, in some cases, death from massive blood loss.
On Wednesday, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned of “additional cases in the coming days as disease surveillance improves” in the latest suspected outbreak in Tanzania.
The WHO reported that patients, including health workers, have been identified and are being monitored.
It added that state rapid response teams have been deployed to help identify suspected cases and contain the outbreak.
The WHO warned that the risk of the spread of the virus in the region remains “high” because Kagera is a transit hub with a large number of cross-border movements towards the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda.
“At this time, we are not recommending restrictions on travel or trade with Tanzania,” said Dr. Tedros on X.
The WHO said the global risk posed by the outbreak was “low” and there was no concern at this stage of the disease’s international spread.
Following the report, a team of experts was immediately dispatched to the Kagera region, where they collected samples, Tanzania’s health minister said.
She said laboratory results ruled out a Marburg outbreak, but the minister did not clarify the total number of suspected cases being investigated.
In December, neighboring Rwanda declared that the country’s epidemic, which infected 66 people and killed 15, was over.
On average, The Marburg virus kills half of the people it infectsAccording to the WHO.
Marburg virus is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and then through contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals.
There are no specific treatments or vaccines for the virus, although trials are ongoing.
