Arusha: Till now there was chaos all over the world due to corona and HMPV infection. But now there is panic due to the arrival of another new virus. The name of this virus is being told as Marburg, due to which 8 people have died in Tanzania. After these deaths, the World Health Organization has become alert. WHO said on Wednesday that eight people have died due to suspected Marburg outbreak in a remote part of northern Tanzania.

"We have so far reported 9 cases of Marburg virus infection in Tanzania, of which 8 people have died," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. According to the WHO, like Ebola, Marburg virus originates in fruit bats and spreads between people through close contact with bodily fluids of infected persons or surfaces such as contaminated sheets.

Marburg is fatal for 88 percent of people

If untreated, Marburg outbreaks can be fatal for up to 88 percent of people who become ill, according to the WHO. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, diarrhea, vomiting and, in some cases, death from excessive blood loss. There is currently no authorized treatment or vaccine available for Marburg. The WHO said its risk assessment for the suspected outbreak in Tanzania is high at the national and regional levels, but low at the global level. There was no immediate comment from Tanzanian health officials.

The first case of Marburg was found in Rwanda

The Marburg outbreak was first reported in Rwanda on Sept. 27. It was announced on Dec. 20. Rwandan officials reported a total of 15 deaths and 66 cases from the outbreak. Most of the affected patients were health workers who cared for earlier patients. At least five people died in a 2023 outbreak in Marburg, Kagera, which shares a border with Rwanda.