World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Tanzanian President Samia Sululu Hassan confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus. File Photo by World Health Organization/Twitter
Jan. 21 (UPI) — Tanzanian President Samia Sululu Hassan confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus after its health ministry had previously denied the spread.
Hassan announced the outbreak in a press conference with World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in the capital of Dodoma on Monday.
“Laboratory tests conducted at Kabaile Mobile Laboratory in Kagera and later confirmed in Dar es Salaam identified one patient as being infected with the Marburg virus,” Hassan said in a statement.
“Fortunately, the remaining suspected patients tested negative. We have demonstrated in the past our ability to contain a similar outbreak and are determined to do the same this time around.”
The World Health Organization first warned of a suspected Marburg outbreak on Jan. 14 after identifying nine suspected cases, resulting in eight deaths in the country’s northwest region.
Jean Kaseya, the director-general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pledged support and aid to Tanzania in managing the outbreak.
“To support the government’s efforts, we are committing $2 million to bolster immediate response measures, including deploying public health experts, strengthening diagnostics, and enhancing case management,” Kaseya said in a statement.
While there was an initial concern of Marburg’s spread to other African countries, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the chance of global spread remained low.
“Even though there is no approved treatment or vaccine, outbreaks can be stopped quickly,” Ghebreyesus said, according to BBC News. “WHO advises against restrictions. Now is the time for collaboration.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Level I travel health notice for Tanzania but said there are no cases of the Marburg virus in the United States.
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