Ethiopia confirms first outbreak of Marburg virus

Ethiopia has confirmed its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease, after nine cases were reported in the south of the country.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday commended the Ethiopian Health Ministry and other health agencies for their “rapid and transparent response to the outbreak”.

“This fast action demonstrates the seriousness of the country’s commitment to bringing the outbreak under control quickly,” Tedros wrote in a social media post.

The confirmation comes a day after the WHO said Ethiopian health authorities were investigating after “suspected cases of viral hemorrhagic fever” were reported.

Marburg is from the same family as Ebola, namely the Filoviridae family (filovirus) of viruses. It has been described as more severe than Ebola.

The United States-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) describes it as a “rare but severe” hemorrhagic fever that can be deadly.

Originating in Egyptian fruit bats, it can spread between people when someone comes into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, or objects contaminated with their fluids, such as clothing or bedsheets.

Symptoms include fever, rash and severe bleeding, and there is no treatment or vaccine for Marburg, according to the CDC. Instead, it says that “treatment is limited to supportive care”, including rest and hydration.

The outbreak in Ethiopia was reported in the country’s southern region of Omo, which borders South Sudan.

Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said on Thursday that the outbreak was a concern because “South Sudan isn’t far and has a fragile health system”.

No other African country has reported Marburg virus cases in recent weeks.

Tedros, the WHO chief, said on Friday that the UN agency was “actively supporting Ethiopia to contain the outbreak and treat infected people, and supporting all efforts to address the potential of cross-border spread”.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Health also said that community-wide screenings were being conducted in relation to the outbreak, alongside efforts to raise awareness.

Infected people have been isolated and are being treated, it said in a statement shared on social media, while work to identify anyone who may have come into contact with suspected cases was also under way.