With Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania striving to stem the spread of their respective first outbreaks of Marburg virus, neighboring countries are now on high alert as they ramp up surveillance and preparedness measures.
On Feb. 13, Equatorial Guinea confirmed its first outbreak of Marburg virus — a hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola. At the time of publication, the country had a total of 13 confirmed cases and nine deaths. Just over a month later on March 21, health authorities in Tanzania confirmed their first outbreak of the disease. So far eight cases, including five deaths, have been reported.
As regional health authorities work with both governments to scale up control measures and end the outbreaks, neighboring countries are now on high alert and are sensitizing citizens, especially those living in border regions, on the disease and how to notify health authorities.
About the author
Paul Adepojupauladepoju
Paul Adepoju is a Nigeria-based Devex Contributing Reporter, academic, and author. He covers health and tech in Africa for leading local and international media outlets including CNN, Quartz, and The Guardian. He's also the founder of healthnews.africa. He is completing a doctorate in cell biology and genetics and holds several reporting awards in health and tech.
