Tanzania’s Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu announced on Tuesday that five people have been killed in Tanzania due to the Marburg virus, a member of the filovirus family, which also includes the Ebola virus.
The minister noted that the results of the public health laboratory confirmed that the deaths were due to the Marburg virus, which also causes hemorrhagic fever and is often accompanied by hemorrhages affecting several organs and reducing the body’s ability to function properly.
She called on the population to remain calm while reassuring them that the government was deploying the necessary means to avoid the spread of the virus.
She indicated this sense that 3 people are hospitalized and 161 contacts are under control by the authorities.
Moreover, last week an emergency medical team was sent to the Kagera region (north-west) to investigate the disease.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has welcomed the rapid response to the outbreak, adding that there is no vaccine at present, but experimental treatments are being evaluated.
The virus has affected other African countries such as Equatorial Guinea, South Africa, Angola, and Kenya.