100% Marburg Case Fatality Rate in Tanzania

The latest outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in Africa continues to cause a significant case fatality rate. Since the initial Marburg outbreak in Germany in 1967, there have been eighteen outbreaks of MVD that have previously been reported globally.

Since the declaration of the MVD outbreak on January 20, 2025, the United Republic of Tanzania's Ministry of Health has confirmed all ten 10 patients in the Kagera Region's Biharamulo and Muleba districts have died as of February 14, 2025.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), all 281 listed contacts have completed 21 days of follow-up.

The WHO has assessed the risk of this MVD outbreak as high at the national level; the regional risk is considered high due to Kagera's strategic location as a transit hub, with significant cross-border movement of the population to Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

Furthermore, the WHO says the global risk is currently low.

The WHO wrote, 'Based on the current risk assessment, WHO advises against travel and trade restrictions with Tanzania.'

However, MVD screening of travelers departing from the Kagera Region continues at key entry and exit points, including the Bukoba Airport.

To alert international travelers of this health risk, the U.S. CDC issued Watch—Level 1 Travel Health Advisories on January 23, 2025, and March 27, 2023. These Advisories stated that Tanzania had confirmed an MVD outbreak and that visitors to these areas should practice usual precautions.

The WHO says MVD is a highly virulent disease that can cause severe disease and is clinically similar to Ebola disease. It spreads between people via direct contact with infected people, such as the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids, and surfaces and materials contaminated with these fluids.

From a prevention perspective, Marburg vaccine candidates continue conducting research in Rwanda and other countries, but none have been approved for human use in 2025.