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.

Officials previously questioned whether the deadly disease was indeed present in the African country, which had seen 8 suspected Marburg deaths.

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan has confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the northwest of the country, with one confirmed case so far.

Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan confirmed on Monday that there was a new outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the East African country.

Tanzania's government said no-one in the country had tested positive for the Marburg virus after the World Health Organization (WHO) said at least eight people in the northwest were believed to have died from it.

Tanzania has pushed back against a report from the World Health Organization warning of a new Marburg virus outbreak in the country.

In March 2023, Tanzania experienced its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease, a rare and deadly hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola. That outbreak also occurred in the Kagera region, which borders Uganda and Rwanda.

WHO reported eight suspected cases of the Marburg virus in Tanzania. However, health officials in the country have denied the presence of the virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a suspected outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in the Kagera region of northwestern Tanzania, with nine people reportedly infected, of whom eight have died.