Marburg virus outbreak in Tanzania kills nine, threatens wider spread

An outbreak of the highly infectious Marburg virus in Tanzania has resulted in nine confirmed deaths among ten reported cases, marking a significant health crisis in the region. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that more cases are likely, with health officials actively monitoring approximately 281 contacts of the infected individuals. Marburg, which has a mortality rate of up to 90%, causes severe symptoms such as bleeding from the eyes and internal organs. Ngashi Ngongo from the Africa Centre for Disease Control highlighted ongoing collaborative efforts with the WHO to manage the outbreak. Despite the gravity of the situation, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of the WHO stated that the global risk remains low and emphasized that outbreaks can be controlled even without approved treatments or vaccines. This outbreak follows a recent Marburg outbreak in Rwanda, which was declared over just a month ago.