An untreatable Ebola-like virus is on the rise in Tanzania, global health chiefs warn.
Marburg, one of the deadliest pathogens ever discovered, has already infected nine people, eight of whom have died.
There are currently no vaccines or treatments available, meaning doctors must instead focus on helping patients survive the infection.
This often puts healthcare workers at direct risk from the virus, which can cause people to bleed from their eyes because the virus is transmitted through infected bodily fluids.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has deployed teams to the African country’s northeastern Kagera region – where all cases have been detected so far.
But doctors are also being warned to be alert to cases in neighboring countries including Rwanda and Burundi, raising fears the virus may be spreading under the radar.
Local officials first raised the alarm last week after a mysterious illness struck six people, killing five of them.
Experts believed Marburg was to blame after preliminary tests.
The Marburg virus, a relative of Ebola, causes people to bleed from their body orifices and kills up to 9 in 10 of those infected
Marburg has a mortality rate of up to 88 percent. There are currently no vaccines or treatments approved to treat the virus
By January 11, the death toll had risen to nine suspected cases and eight deaths in two districts – Biharamulo and Muleba – the WHO said.
Marburg is a hemorrhagic fever that damages organs and blood vessels, causing bleeding internally or from the eyes, mouth and ears.
The virus can be spread by touching or handling bodily fluids of an infected person, contaminated objects, or infected wild animals.
Symptoms appear abruptly and include severe headache, fever, diarrhea, stomach pain and vomiting. They are becoming more and more serious.
In the early stages of Marburg hemorrhagic fever it is very difficult to distinguish it from other tropical diseases, such as Ebola and malaria.
Infected patients become ‘ghost-like’ and often develop sunken eyes and expressionless faces.
The WHO says it has a case-fatality ratio (CFR) of up to 88 percent, meaning it can kill almost 9 in 10 people it infects.
The outbreak in Tanzania comes less than a month after a Marburg outbreak in neighboring Rwanda was officially declared over.
“We expect further cases in the coming days as disease surveillance improves,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X earlier this week.
A total of 66 people were infected, about 80 percent of whom were healthcare workers.
The country reported 15 deaths, with Rwanda’s response receiving international praise for its low mortality rate of 23 percent – the lowest ever for a Marburg outbreak in Africa.
In March 2023, Tanzania’s Bukoba district experienced its first outbreak of the Marburg virus, which is believed to have killed six people and lasted almost two months.
But Tanzanian health authorities have not yet confirmed this latest outbreak.
“We expect further cases in the coming days as disease surveillance improves,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X earlier this week.
In a separate statement, WHO officials also said: ‘The source of the outbreak is currently unknown.
‘The delayed detection and isolation of cases, coupled with ongoing contact tracing, indicates a lack of complete information about the current outbreak.
“More cases are expected to be identified.
Marburg virus (MVD) is initially transmitted to humans from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the body fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials.
“The regional risk is considered high due to the Kagera region’s strategic location as a transit hub, with significant cross-border population movements into Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“It is reported that some of the suspected cases are in districts close to international borders, highlighting the potential for spread to neighboring countries.
‘Marburg is not easily transferable. Most cases require contact with the body fluids of a sick patient who is showing symptoms or with surfaces contaminated with these fluids.
“However, it cannot be ruled out that a person exposed to the virus is travelling.”
Despite the regional threat, the global risk remains low because the virus does not spread easily between people, the WHO said.