THE World Health Organization (WHO) announced yesterday Tuesday that a possible epidemic of the virus Marburg in Tanzania claimed the lives of eight people, highlighting how the risk of its spread in the country and in the region it is “high”.

“We have been informed of nine cases so far, including 8 people who have died. We expect more cases in the coming days as epidemiological surveillance improves.”underlined the director general of the WHO, Mr Tedros Andanom Ghebresusthrough X.

Marburg virus causes infection with hemorrhagic fever and they are excellent infectious. It is transmitted by some species of bats and belongs to the same family of viruses as Ebola. The death rate approaches the 90%

The UN agency pointed out that it informed the member states yesterday Monday about “reported outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Kangera district”, in northwestern Tanzania.

The same area had already become the theater of an epidemic of the Marburg virus in March 2023, which had lasted more than two months. Her account was 6 dead out of a total of 9 confirmed casesaccording to WHO.

The same source pointed out that the risk of spread is “high” at the national level, due to various worrying factors, underlining in particular the fact that “the source of the outbreak is still unknown”.

He added how the risk of regional spread is also “high” because of the “strategic location” of Kangera, an area through which many Tanzanians pass through on their way to “Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and DR Congo”.

The new outbreak is recorded less than a month after the WHO declared it the end of the Marburg virus epidemic in neighboring Rwanda; which lasted three months and claimed the life of 15 people.