Tanzania’s president says one sample from a remote northern part of the country has tested positive for Marburg disease.

Tanzania’s president said Monday that one sample from a remote part of northern Tanzania tested positive for Marburg disease, a highly infectious virus which can be fatal in up to 88% of cases without treatment.

Dr. Tedros highlighted the collaborative effort, stating, “WHO is committed to supporting Tanzania in bringing this outbreak under control while working toward a healthier and safer future for all.”

NAIROBI (Reuters) - A suspected outbreak of the Marburg virus in northwest Tanzania has infected nine people, killing eight of them, the World Health Organization has said, weeks after an outbreak of the disease was declared over in neighbouring Rwanda.

In March 2023, Tanzania reported its first Marburg virus outbreak, which also occurred in Kagera region. The outbreak was declared over in June 2023, with nine infections reported, six of them fatal. The WHO said zoonotic reservoirs of the virus, such as fruit bats, remain in the area.

The WHO has reported a “high” regional and national risk from the haemorrhagic virus while the global risk remains low.

Tanzania’s president said that one sample from a remote part of northern Tanzania tested positive for Marburg disease—a highly infectious virus that can be fatal in up to 88 percent of cases without treatment.

Tanzania's president has announced an outbreak of Marburg virus, an Ebola-like virus, just a week after her health minister denied that there were any cases in the country. President Samia Suluhu Hassan said at a press conference on Monday that health authorities had confirmed one case of Marburg in the north-western region of Kagera.

Officials previously questioned whether the deadly disease was indeed present in the African country, which had seen 8 suspected Marburg deaths.