Rapid Fire
Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak
- 20 Jan 2025
- 1 min read
A suspected outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Tanzania’s Kagera region has raised alarm after claiming 8 lives.
- About MVD: MVD is a deadly hemorrhagic fever caused by the Marburg virus, characterized by high fatality rates of 89% and the absence of approved treatments.
- Symptoms: The virus causes severe symptoms, including fever, headache, vomiting blood, and bleeding, resembling the Ebola virus.
- Transmission: It is transmitted to humans from fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals.
- Diagnosis: It is confirmed using tests such as RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction).
- About Tanzania: Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika) is the largest country in East Africa and includes the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, and Mafia.
- It is bordered by the Indian Ocean and eight countries.
- It is bordered by 3 of the largest lakes in Africa i.e., Lake Victoria (world's 2nd largest freshwater lake), Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Nyasa.
Read More: India Tanzania Relations
