Tanzania confirms Marburg virus outbreak after initial denial
Tanzania's president has announced an outbreak of Marburg virus, an Ebola-like virus, just a week after her health minister denied that there were any cases in the country. President Samia Suluhu Hassan said at a press conference on Monday that health authorities had confirmed one case of Marburg in the north-western region of Kagera. "We are confident that we will overcome this challenge once again," Samia said, referring to a previous outbreak in Tanzania two years ago. On 14 January, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a suspected Marburg outbreak in the country, having recorded nine suspected cases and eight deaths over five days in Kagera. But Tanzania's Health Minister Jenista Mhagama said in a statement that after samples had been analysed, all suspected cases were found negative for Marburg. Follow link for full story...