A dangerous virus, similar to Ebola, has been found in Tanzania, a country in East Africa.
Officials say one person has tested positive for the Marburg virus. This means there’s an outbreak in Tanzania... Continue reading here ▶
This scary virus can cause people to have bleeding eyes and other severe problems.
Tanzania’s president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, announced the outbreak after the one Marburg case was confirmed in the northwestern Kagera region. She said they’ve sent a special team to check on anyone who might be infected.
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This announcement is surprising because just a week earlier, the country’s health minister said there were no cases at all.
On January 14th, the World Health Organization (WHO) said they suspected an outbreak in Tanzania, with nine possible cases and eight deaths in just five days. But the health minister said those suspected cases turned out to be negative.
Tanzania has had an outbreak before.
This virus spreads easily and can make people very sick with fever, throwing up, severe bleeding, diarrhea, and more, according to the BBC. The WHO says Marburg kills about half the people who get it. They say people can also become confused, easily irritated, and aggressive.
The WHO also explains that the illness starts suddenly with high fever, bad headache, and feeling very unwell. People get muscle aches and pains. After about three days, they can get severe watery diarrhea, stomach pain and cramps, feeling sick, and throwing up. Some people get a rash a few days after getting sick.
After about five days, people might start bleeding, like having blood in their vomit or poop, or bleeding from their nose, gums, or other areas. The virus can also affect the brain, causing confusion and other problems.
Sometimes, men can get swollen testicles later in the illness. If someone dies from Marburg, it usually happens about 8 or 9 days after they start feeling sick, usually because of severe blood loss and shock.
President Hassan mentioned a previous outbreak in 2023 and said they would overcome this one too. The head of the WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that even though there are no specific cures or vaccines, outbreaks can be stopped quickly. He said the WHO doesn’t recommend travel restrictions and that it’s important for everyone to work together.
It’s still not clear what caused the eight deaths that the WHO reported earlier.