Ethiopia on Monday confirmed that three people have died after contracting the Marburg virus, while authorities are investigating three additional fatalities for possible links to the disease.
The announcement follows Friday’s declaration of a Marburg outbreak in the Omo region, which borders South Sudan.Ethiopian Health Minister Mekdes Daba said tests had been conducted on 17 suspected cases in the southern part of the country.
A total of 129 individuals who had contact with the confirmed cases have been isolated and are under close monitoring.
The minister stated there are currently no active cases, but the government is taking preventive measures. Teams from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been deployed to assist with testing and outbreak management.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commended the Ethiopian government’s swift response, highlighting its “commitment to bringing the outbreak under control quickly.”
Marburg is a highly contagious haemorrhagic virus closely related to Ebola. It originates in fruit bats and spreads between humans through direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces, such as soiled bedding.
Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, diarrhoea, and vomiting, and without treatment, the virus can be fatal in up to 88% of cases.
Previous Marburg outbreaks and isolated cases have been reported in Rwanda, Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Ghana, according to the WHO.
