WHO Confirms 8 Deaths in Marburg Virus Outbreak in Tanzania

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 8 deaths in a Marburg virus outbreak in northwest Tanzania, with 9 people infected. The outbreak was declared just a week after a neighboring country, Rwanda, reported cases of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Marburg virus.

The symptoms include headache, high fever, back pain, diarrhea, vomiting blood, muscle weakness, and external bleeding. The outbreak in Tanzania's Kagera region began on January 10, with samples from two patients awaiting testing.

The virus is transmitted through direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of infected individuals. The affected region shares a border with Rwanda, where 66 people were infected and 15 died in a recent outbreak.