Tanzania denies suspected outbreak of deadly Marburg virus

Tanzania on Thursday denied reports of a suspected outbreak of the deadly Marburg disease in the northwest of the country.

The World Health Organization on Tuesday said nine possible cases were reported last week in the remote Kagera region, adding that eight of those infected had died.

At the time, residents said they were adapting their behaviour as a result of the news.

"We have refrained from greeting each other by shaking hands, as was the custom in the past,” said local man, Finton Ishengoma.

“Instead, we greet from a distance while continuing to follow the guidance of health experts on how to protect ourselves from this disease."

But Tanzania’s Health Minister, Jenista Mhagama, said after samples were tested, all suspected cases were found to be negative for the Ebola-like virus.

She said the country has strengthened its surveillance systems and disease monitoring as a precaution.

News of the suspected cases came weeks after an outbreak of the disease in neighbouring Rwanda was declared over.

Marburg has a fatality rate of as high as 88 per cent.

The WHO had cautioned that the risk of the suspected virus spreading in the region was "high" as Kagera is a transit hub to several countries.

Like Ebola, the Marburg virus originates in fruit bats.

It spreads between people through close contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals or with surfaces, such as contaminated bed sheets.

Symptoms include fever, muscle pains, diarrhoea, vomiting, and in some cases death from extreme blood loss.

There is no authorised vaccine or treatment for Marburg.