The World Health Organization (WHO) has provided Tanzania with US$ 3 million equivalent to TZS 7.5 Billion from the WHO Emergency Fund to support efforts to deal with the outbreak of Marburg disease in the country.
The Director General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that the funds include 50,000 dollars given to support the initial investigation.
Dr. Tedros said the Tanzanian government’s efforts in dealing with the previous outbreak in 2023, has built capacity that he hopes will enable Tanzania to control the current outbreak as soon as possible.
President, Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan has said that after there were rumors about the Marburg virus outbreak in Kagera, laboratory tests have confirmed that one person has been infected with the virus.
She said this while speaking to the media yesterday after a meeting with the Director of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Palace in Dar es Salaam.
President Dr. Samia said that in those tests, some people who were thought to have the disease were confirmed to have other diseases.
“The government took immediate measures, including the investigation of suspected people, strengthening monitoring and creating emergency teams. On January 11, 2025, experts were sent to Kagera to investigate the situation. Laboratory tests confirmed that one patient has the Marburg virus”, said President Samia.
