The Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak in Tanzania
• On January 20, 2025, Tanzania said that the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) had spread.
• The Ministry of Health knew of two proven cases and eight likely cases as of February 10, 2025.
• All ten people have died; eight of them died before the spread was verified.
In answer, the Ministry of Health made a national response plan and sent a national rapid response team to the area that needed help.
• On January 28, 2024, the last proven case was buried. Since then, there have been no new cases.
• 1st case MVD in Tanzania was found in March 2023 in the Kagera region’s Bukoba area.
• Like Ebola disease (EBOD), It can be passed on through broken skin or mucous membranes, blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids. Health care workers and people who have been in close touch with a dead body can also spread the virus.
• This sickness can give people a high fever, terrible headaches, bad diarrhoea with a lot of water, stomach pain and cramps, feeling sick, and throwing up. • Most people die eight to nine days after their first symptoms show up, usually after losing a lot of blood and being shocked. At this point, neither a vaccine nor a medicine has been approved for MVD.
• MVD has been found in 18 people around the world. The most recent outbreak happened in Rwanda from September to December 2024.
Response of Public Health to the Outbreak of the Marburg Virus in Tanzania
National Response Plan: • A national response plan was made by the Ministry of Health.
• To help with planning, the National Incident Management System and a national task group were set up.
• A national quick reaction team was sent to the area that was hit by the disaster. WHO and health partners helped with the planning and execution of the mission.
• WHO experts were sent to help the Ministry of Health coordinate with partners and other areas of the reaction.
Case Finding and Keeping Track of Contacts
• Active case finding and contact tracking is still going on in the places that have been affected.
The suspect cases are being checked by a mobile lab in Kabaile, and samples are being sent to Dar es Salaam to be tested by the main public health lab.
• People leaving the Kagera Region are still screened at important entry and exit points.
Campaigns to make healthcare workers more aware
• Public health staff, health education, and health education are still going on.
• It is now easier to find clothes, treatment rooms, and other things in the Marburg Treatment Unit.
Estimate of Risk by the WHO
• The risk at the national level is high because there are so many cases and deaths.
• The regional risk is high because Kagera is a traffic hub, & The world risk is low because there isn’t enough proof that the virus has spread to other countries.
What WHO Recommends
• To avoid getting MVD, stay away from people who have it.
• Treatment: Get hospitalised right away and get separate care for cases that are suspected or proven.
• For your own safety, wear protective gear and cook all animal products during breakouts.
3. Coordination: People at all levels of the response are being asked to work together across industries and with a variety of partners and stakeholders.
Risk Communication and Community Participation in Outbreaks of the Marburg Virus
• Make more people aware of the problem and get them involved in their communities.
Targeted work and direct work with groups should be done to bring more attention to the problem.
• Groups that are at a higher risk should get extra care, like pastors, traditional healers, and church leaders.
• The WHO’s page on risk communication and community involvement for Marburg virus disease outbreaks suggests giving areas that are likely to have outbreaks the tools they need to handle them.
• Send personalised messages and quickly share risks linked to MVD through different channels.
• Add community feedback tools to deal with infodemics.
• Learn about the abuse and shame of MVD.
• Get communities involved in planning and carrying out steps to be ready for and respond to MVD.
Measures for surveillance and infection prevention and control (IPC)
• Active case finding, contact tracing, and alert management should be done in the area that was affected and towns close.
• To quickly find and report new cases, community-based tracking methods should be made stronger.
Health-care-associated infections (HAIs) should be avoided and controlled by following important public health standards.
• As soon as possible, lab tests should be handled and looked at.
• Possible medical remedies should be looked at.
• People who have died should be buried in a way that is safe and shows respect.
People who are sick and their families should get case management and emotional help.
Health at the border and work across borders:
• The right entry places, on public transport, and at the border should all have better surveillance and response systems.
• There should be better cooperation with nearby countries so that reporting systems work together and important data can be shared instantly.
Ready and Ready: In high-risk places, readiness reviews should be done to make sure that response systems are ready to find and deal with new cases.