The government of Tanzania denied reports of an outbreak of Marburg virus in the country as WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned cases in the nation could increase. File Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/EPA-EFE
Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Tanzania pushed back against a report from the World Health Organization warning of a new Marburg virus outbreak in the country.
Tanzania's Health Minister Jenista Mhagama said this week her agency examined all suspected cases of the Ebola-like disease there and its tests came up negative for Marburg.
The last Marburg outbreak in Tanzania came in March 2023 when six people died from the virus in the Bukoba district.
"[We] would like to assure the international organizations, including WHO, that we shall always keep them up to date with ongoing developments," Mhagama said.
The WHO said that on Jan. 10 it had received "reliable reports" regarding suspected Marburg cases in Tanzania with victims suffering from identifiable symptoms of headaches, high fever, back pain, diarrhea, vomiting blood, and malaise.
"The risk of this suspected [Marburg] outbreak is assessed as high at the national level due to several concerning factors," the WHO said in its statement. "The suspected outbreak thus far involves at least nine suspected cases, including eight deaths, resulting in a high [death rate] of 89%.
"Healthcare workers are included among the suspected cases affected, highlighting the risk of nosocomial transmission. The source of the outbreak is currently unknown."
The WHO said it is concerned that the alleged outbreak could quickly spread to other countries in Africa with Tanzania's Kagera region bordering Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda with significant cross-border movement between all four countries.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus he expects more cases of the virus will increase "in the coming days" if Tanzania did not improve surveillance and contact tracing.