02/04/2023
The provided link is for a Disease Outbreak News (DON) article by the World Health Organization (WHO). The article provides information on a Marburg virus disease outbreak in Tanzania, which is the country's first-ever outbreak of the disease. Marburg virus disease is a highly infectious and potentially fatal haemorrhagic fever that is in the same family as Ebola. There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the disease.
The article notes that the virus is initially transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with bodily fluids, such as blood, vomit, and saliva, of infected people or surfaces contaminated with these fluids. The article states that Tanzania has heightened disease surveillance and prevention measures to contain the outbreak.
Other related web search results provide additional information on Marburg virus disease, including that it was initially detected in 1967 after simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany, and in Belgrade, Serbia. Rousettus aegyptiacus fruit bats are considered natural hosts for the virus. The Marburg virus disease outbreak has also been reported in Equatorial Guinea, with ReliefWeb providing updates on the situation.
In addition to Marburg virus disease, other disease outbreaks are also being monitored by WHO's Health Emergencies Programme in the African region, including Rift Valley fever in Uganda, cholera in several countries, and COVID-19 globally, with over 761 million confirmed cases and 6.8 million deaths reported as of March 21, 2023.
WHO defines a disease outbreak as the occurrence of cases of disease in excess of what would normally be expected in a defined community, geographical area or season. Outbreaks are maintained by infectious agents that spread directly from person to person or from exposure to an animal. WHO collects and reports on data related to disease outbreaks, including case and death counts, through official communications and monitoring of ministries of health websites and social media accounts.
Situation at a glanceSince the first Disease Outbreak News on this event was published on 25 February 2023, eight additional laboratory-confirmed cases of Marburg virus disease (MVD) have been reported in Equatorial Guinea. This brings the total to nine laboratory-confirmed cases and 20 probable c...