Three people have died from the Marburg virus in Ethiopia, with three additional fatalities suspected to be linked to the highly contagious haemorrhagic disease, the country’s health ministry announced on Monday. The outbreak was first confirmed on Friday in a town in the Southern Ethiopia Region, where at least nine cases of the infection were initially identified. Laboratory results from the Ethiopian Public Health Institute have verified the three confirmed deaths, while investigations continue into the suspected cases.
The health ministry has placed 129 individuals under isolation and monitoring after identifying them as contacts of the confirmed patients. Officials warn that the virus, which belongs to the same family as Ebola, spreads rapidly through direct contact with bodily fluids such as blood and saliva, as well as through handling infected wild animals, including monkeys. Previous Marburg outbreaks in Africa have recorded fatality rates exceeding 80 percent, often resulting in death within a week of symptom onset.
The outbreak has triggered heightened alertness among public health institutions as Ethiopia moves to contain transmission and prevent further spread. With reinforced surveillance and emergency response measures, authorities are working to prevent the outbreak from escalating into a wider health crisis.
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