Ethiopia Confirms First Marburg Outbreak as WHO Sends Aid

Overview

• Ethiopia’s health ministry reported nine cases in the south near the South Sudan border, marking the country’s first Marburg outbreak.
• WHO has deployed an initial response team and drawn $300,000 from its emergency contingency fund to bolster the effort.
• All identified patients are isolated and receiving supportive care as officials carry out case finding and contact tracing.
• WHO and the Africa CDC praised Ethiopia’s rapid and transparent response after cases, including among health workers, were confirmed.
• Marburg is a filovirus related to Ebola with no approved vaccine or treatment, spreading through contact with bodily fluids or contaminated materials and capable of causing severe bleeding.