A World Health Organisation (WHO) report of a suspected new outbreak of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in Tanzania were false alarms, according to officials in the country, who said after samples were analysed, all of the nine suspected cases were found negative.
Earlier last week, the global health agency said nine suspected cases had been reported in the Kagera region, including eight deaths, reports the BBC.
However, the country’s Health Minister Jenista Mhagama told the WHO that all cases were negative, and that Tanzania had strengthened its surveillance systems and disease monitoring.
The WHO reported that patients, including healthcare workers, had been identified and were being monitored. It added that the country’s rapid response teams had been deployed to help identify suspected cases.
In a statement, the agency had said: “The reporting of suspected cases from two districts suggests geographic spread. The delayed detection and isolation of cases, coupled with ongoing contact tracing, indicates lack of full information.”
It also emphasised the high death rate of 89%, and the fact that healthcare workers are among suspected cases, potentially indicating spread within health facilities.
Kagera borders Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, with significant cross-border movement of people, and the WHO said there was “potential for spread into neighbouring countries”, reports The Guardian.
The report of the suspected cases came just weeks after an outbreak in neighbouring Rwanda was declared over. In that outbreak, traced back to fruit bats in a mining cave, there were 66 confirmed cases and 15 deaths.
Tanzania had an earlier Marburg outbreak in 2023, also in Kagera, involving nine cases and six deaths.
Marburg virus outbreaks typically have a fatality rate of between 24% and 88%. They are declared over 42 days after the last patient has tested negative for the virus twice.
BBC article – Tanzania denies suspected Marburg outbreak after WHO alert (Open access)
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