GHealth News – Ethiopia has reported a confirmed outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in its southern region, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Marburg is among the most lethal viruses known. Similar to Ebola, it leads to severe bleeding, high fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea, with an incubation period of up to 21 days.
It spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and carries a fatality rate ranging from 25% to 80%.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who is Ethiopian, announced on Friday that at least nine infections had been identified in southern Ethiopia. His statement came two days after Africa CDC received reports of a suspected haemorrhagic fever in the area.
“Marburg virus disease (MVD) has been confirmed by Ethiopia’s National Reference Laboratory,” Africa CDC said on Saturday.
The agency added that further epidemiological studies and lab tests are ongoing, noting that the virus strain detected resembles those found previously in East Africa.
It also commended Ethiopian health officials for acting quickly to verify and contain the outbreak in the Jinka area, and said it will support Ethiopia in mounting an effective response and preventing further regional spread.
Earlier this year, an outbreak in Tanzania claimed 10 lives before it was declared over in March.
Rwanda announced in December 2024 that it had contained its first documented Marburg outbreak, which resulted in 15 deaths.
There is currently no approved vaccine or antiviral therapy for Marburg, though supportive care—such as oral or IV rehydration and treatment of specific symptoms—improves survival rates.
In 2023, Rwanda conducted a trial of an experimental vaccine developed by the U.S.-based Sabin Vaccine Institute.
(The Guardian)