03/02/2025
Outbreak Page on Marburg Virus Disease in Tanzania by Pandemic PACT
In response to the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) outbreak in Tanzania, Pandemic PACT has created an outbreak page that shares key public health and research updates and highlights alignment of funded research to research categories and coming soon- priorities for the outbreak.
Image Downloaded from the Pandemic PACT site on 3rd February, 2025
Background:
On 13 January 2025, WHO informed its Member States and IHR State Parties of an outbreak of suspected Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in the Kagera region of the United Republic of Tanzania, after reports of nine suspected cases were reported including eight deaths (case fatality rate (CFR) of 89%) across two districts – Biharamulo and Muleba (as of 11 January 2025). On 20 January 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nation of Tanzania confirmed a Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) outbreak in the Kagera region, northwestern Tanzania. Healthcare workers are among the suspected cases. If confirmed, this would be the second MVD outbreak in Tanzania. The first outbreak occurred in one district in the Kagera region between 21 March and 31 May 2023, resulting in nine cases and six deaths. Areas with animal reservoirs for MVD (the Rousettus aegyptiactus bat) are present in Tanzania.
The WHO has assessed the public health risk at a national level as high. They have also assessed the risk at a regional level as high due to cross-border movements between Kagera and surrounding countries. The global risk remains low. There are no licensed therapeutics or vaccines against MVD, however, several are in development. Pandemic PACT Data:
Pandemic PACT has created data visualisations for MVD research funding and we are aligning these to the newly developed research priorities (these will be live soon)The offers a look into the details of the research grants funded for Marburg.
This visualisation notes the number of grants by location of funding organisation
Image Downloaded from the Pandemic PACT site on 3rd February, 2025
The Pandemic PACT has also developed a Summary Outbreak Report on Marburg Virus in Tanzania, along with a separate report with analyses on the Marburg Clinical Trials Landscape.
Learn More
Marburg response: building research readiness for a future filovirus outbreak
Ebola/Marburg Research and Development (R&D) Roadmap. January 2019 – Advanced draft
GloPID-R Website, Pandemic PACT
