Ethiopia has confirmed three deaths linked to the Marburg virus, the country’s first recorded outbreak of the highly infectious disease. Health officials say three additional deaths are being investigated as possible Marburg-related cases. The outbreak was declared on Friday after cases were detected in the South Omo zone, a remote region bordering South Sudan, where cross-border movement is common.
Health Minister Mekdes Daba said laboratory tests were conducted on 17 suspected cases, with three confirmed positive. Authorities have also identified 129 contacts, all of whom have been placed under isolation and daily monitoring. As of Monday, there are no active infections, though surveillance remains high. A joint emergency team from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has been deployed to strengthen testing, tracing, and community awareness efforts. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Ethiopia’s rapid response, calling it a “crucial step toward containing the outbreak quickly.”
Marburg, a severe viral haemorrhagic fever related to Ebola, originates in fruit bats and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people or contaminated materials. Symptoms include high fever, severe diarrhoea, vomiting, and internal bleeding. Fatality rates can reach up to 88% without timely treatment. Previous Marburg outbreaks have been recorded in Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, Congo, Uganda, and Ghana, according to WHO.
