The Ethiopian Ministry of Health has confirmed an outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever, the first in the country's history, according to the WHO. The outbreak was reported in the Ari Zone of the Southern Ethiopian Region, near the border with Kenya. A cluster of eight suspected cases was identified on November 13, and the number of cases quickly increased to 17. Tests of their samples at the National Reference Laboratory confirmed Marburg fever. Three deaths have been confirmed in the outbreak so far. A joint WHO and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) team has been deployed to the affected region, where they are conducting response measures.
Marburg fever is caused by the Marburg virus, which, like the Ebola virus, belongs to the filoviridae family. The infection is transmitted through contact with infected individuals, their bodily secretions, and contaminated surfaces. Without treatment, the fatality rate can exceed 90 percent. The disease has not yet been detected in Ethiopia. The previous outbreak of Marburg fever was recorded in early 2025 in Tanzania, where all ten cases died. An outbreak in Rwanda had recently ended.
