Uganda Heightens Alert Amid Suspected Marburg Virus Outbreak in Tanzania
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Synopsis
Uganda is on high alert due to a suspected Marburg virus outbreak in Tanzania. Eight fatalities have been reported. Health authorities are taking measures to prevent the virus from entering Uganda.
Key Takeaways
- Uganda heightened surveillance at borders due to MVD outbreak in Tanzania.
- Eight deaths reported in Tanzania related to Marburg virus.
- WHO has warned about the high risk of MVD spread.
- MVD has a fatality rate of up to 88%.
- Preventative measures include active case searches.
Kampala, Jan 15 (NationPress) Uganda is now on high alert due to a suspected outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in neighboring Tanzania, which has resulted in the deaths of eight individuals, according to a health official reported on Wednesday.
Henry Kyobe Bosa, the incident commander at Uganda's Ministry of Health, communicated with Xinhua news agency, stating that health officials have intensified surveillance and initiated preventative measures at border points with Tanzania to avert the entry of this highly lethal virus into Uganda. As per the ministry's report, no cases of MVD have yet been documented within Uganda.
The World Health Organization (WHO) notified its member states on Monday about the suspected MVD cases in the Kagera Region of Tanzania, which exhibit symptoms such as headache, high fever, back pain, diarrhea, vomiting with blood, body weakness, and external bleeding.
"We are adhering to the WHO risk assessment to implement measures for early detection and response, and if necessary, to conduct active case searches in light of the classified risk both in the region and globally," Bosa mentioned.
According to WHO, the risk in the region is deemed high due to the strategic significance of the Kagera Region as a transit hub, characterized by considerable cross-border movement of people to Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Previously, in March 2023, Tanzanian health officials declared that an outbreak of Marburg viral disease, which led to the deaths of five individuals in the Kagera Region, was under control.
MVD is an extremely virulent disease that results in hemorrhagic fever, with a fatality rate reaching up to 88 percent, as reported by the WHO.
This zoonotic hemorrhagic disease is triggered by the Marburg virus, with human-to-human transmission occurring through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or exposure to contaminated equipment, blood, tissues, and surfaces.
