Three people have died from the Marburg virus in Ethiopia, the Ministry of Health announced on Monday, less than a week after the country confirmed its first-ever outbreak of the deadly disease.
Marburg, a highly infectious haemorrhagic virus similar to Ebola, causes severe bleeding, high fever, vomiting and diarrhoea, with an incubation period of up to 21 days. It spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals and has a fatality rate ranging from 25% to 80%.
The outbreak was detected in the city of Jinka, located about 430 kilometres southwest of Addis Ababa and close to the borders with South Sudan and Kenya.
According to the ministry, 17 suspected cases were tested, and three deaths were confirmed to be caused by the virus. Three additional people who showed symptoms but were not tested before death also passed away.
Health officials said 129 individuals identified as contacts are currently in self-isolation and under close monitoring.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed on Friday that at least nine cases had been detected, following alerts earlier in the week from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The Africa CDC officially confirmed the outbreak on Saturday after laboratory test results returned positive.
The Marburg virus has caused several recent outbreaks in East Africa. Earlier this year, Tanzania recorded 10 deaths before the outbreak was contained in March, while Rwanda successfully ended its first Marburg epidemic in late 2024 after it claimed 15 lives.
There are currently no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments for Marburg. However, supportive care—including oral or intravenous rehydration and treatment of specific symptoms—can significantly improve survival chances. Rwanda recently trialled an experimental vaccine developed by the US-based Sabin Vaccine Institute.
