Tanzania has confirmed that five people have died in its first ever cases of Marburg, the high fatality haemorrhagic disease with similar symptoms to Ebola, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
The country’s national public laboratory confirmed the disease after the deaths of five of eight people (one of whom was a health worker) who had developed symptoms, which include fever, vomiting, bleeding and renal failure.
The surviving three are receiving treatment, with 161 contacts being monitored, reports Reuters.
“Health authorities are working to scale up control measures to halt the spread of the virus," said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.
With a fatality rate of as high as 88%, Marburg is from the same virus family responsible for Ebola and is transmitted to people from fruit bats. It spreads through contact with bodily fluids of infected people.
In February, Equatorial Guinea also announced that it was battling its first-ever Marburg outbreak.
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