Ethiopia has confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the southern part of the country, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced on Saturday.
The Marburg virus, closely related to Ebola, is one of the most lethal pathogens known, causing severe bleeding, fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea. It has an incubation period of up to 21 days and is transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, with a fatality rate ranging from 25 to 80 percent.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed on Friday that at least nine cases had been identified in southern Ethiopia, two days after Africa CDC was alerted to a suspected haemorrhagic virus in the region.
“Marburg virus disease (MVD) has been confirmed by the National Reference Laboratory in Ethiopia,” Africa CDC said. “Further epidemiological investigations and laboratory analyses are underway, and the virus strain detected shows similarities to those previously identified in East Africa.”
The agency said Ethiopian health authorities had acted swiftly to confirm the outbreak and contain it in the Jinka area. Africa CDC also pledged to support Ethiopia in its response to prevent the virus from spreading to other parts of East Africa.
Recent outbreaks in the region highlight the virus’s threat. In January, a Marburg outbreak in Tanzania killed ten people before it was declared over in March. Rwanda reported its first known Marburg epidemic in December 2024, which caused 15 deaths before being successfully contained.
Currently, there is no approved vaccine or antiviral treatment for Marburg virus, though supportive care, including oral or intravenous rehydration and symptom management, can improve survival rates. In 2024, Rwanda conducted trials of an experimental vaccine developed by the US-based Sabin Vaccine Institute.
