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

DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - 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.

Following reports of suspected cases of viral haemorrhagic fever in Tanzania, World Health Organization (WHO) has enhanced its readiness to support the government as it takes measures to investigate and respond swiftly to the situation.

The World Health Organization has confirmed the outbreak in Tanzania, less than a month after neighboring Rwanda declared an end to its months-long battle. The Tanzania outbreak reportedly killed eight people,

Tanzania reported no Marburg virus cases after WHO suspected an outbreak in northwest Kagera. Health Minister Jenista Mhagama stated all tests returned negative. Meanwhile, WHO cited deaths with typical Marburg symptoms.

Tanzania's health minister, Jenista Mhagama, announced that no one in the country tested positive for the Marburg virus despite WHO's concerns after reports of suspected cases. Tanzania had earlier experienced its first outbreak in 2023,

Nine cases of the deadly disease have been reported in the Kagera region of Tanzania so far. But officials expect that number to rise.

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

Health workers in Tanzania have reported about 66 cases of Marburg virus infection, about 80 percent of whom are health care workers, as well as 15 deaths so far. The WHO warned that the Marburg virus has a mortality rate of 88 percent – meaning it can kill nine out of 10 people who contract it.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday that there are no confirmed cases of Marburg virus in Tanzania, despite reports on Tuesday by the World Health Organization indicating that suspected cases of the virus had been identified in the Kagera region.

The World Health Organization says an outbreak of what is suspected to be Marburg disease has killed eight people in a remote part of northern Tanzania. Joe Scarpelli has the details and more in Health Matters for Jan.