(MENAFN) Laboratory tests have detected the Marburg virus in southern Ethiopia, marking the country’s first confirmed outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD), the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reported on Saturday.

Authorities issued an initial alert on Wednesday following reports of a suspected viral haemorrhagic fever. The infections have been identified in the town of Jinka, near Ethiopia’s borders with Kenya and South Sudan.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted on X that “at least nine cases had been identified.”

Although Ethiopia’s Health Ministry has not reported any fatalities, Russia’s public health agency Rospotrebnadzor, citing multiple media outlets, stated that six people may have died, including two healthcare workers who were treating patients infected with the virus.

Local authorities have activated emergency response protocols, deploying field teams, strengthening infection prevention and control measures, and intensifying surveillance in affected areas. Public awareness campaigns are also underway to curb the virus’s spread.

Africa CDC emphasized, “Africa CDC will continue to work closely with the Government of Ethiopia and partners to ensure a rapid, coordinated and effective response.”

Meanwhile, Russian authorities have implemented stricter sanitary checks at border crossings and expressed concern over potential regional transmission. Rospotrebnadzor also noted that a Russian-developed Marburg vaccine has completed preclinical trials and is ready for clinical testing.

First discovered in 1967 after outbreaks in Germany and Serbia, the Marburg virus causes a severe, highly infectious haemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, sore throat, and acute abdominal pain, with severe cases leading to internal bleeding and death. The virus spreads through direct contact with infected bodily fluids or contaminated materials.

The outbreak in Ethiopia adds to Africa’s ongoing public health challenges. Earlier this year, a Marburg virus epidemic in Tanzania claimed ten lives in January, according to WHO. The continent is also grappling with its worst cholera crisis in 25 years, with more than 300,000 confirmed and suspected cases and over 7,000 deaths reported in 2025.

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