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Ethiopia has officially declared an end to its Marburg virus outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed on Monday.
The outbreak, the first ever recorded in the country, was detected in mid-November in the town of Jinka, around 430 kilometres southwest of Addis Ababa. Fourteen cases were confirmed, with nine fatalities.
Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease related to Ebola, causes severe haemorrhagic fever and is transmitted to humans through certain bat species before spreading via bodily fluids. Fatality rates can reach up to 90 per cent.
According to the WHO, Ethiopia ended the outbreak after intensified surveillance detected no new cases. The UN health agency said the virus was contained in under three months through a government-led response backed by international partners.
Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation with about 130 million people, joins several other African countries that have battled Marburg outbreaks in recent years, including Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, South Africa and Tanzania.
There is currently no approved vaccine or antiviral treatment for Marburg, although supportive care, such as rehydration and symptom management, significantly improves survival.
