KAMPALA, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Uganda has intensified border surveillance with neighboring Tanzania following a suspected Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak that has claimed eight lives, a senior government official said Friday.

Ugandan Minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng told reporters that the World Health Organization (WHO) had alerted Uganda about the suspected outbreak in Tanzania's Kagera region, which shares a border with Uganda.

Aceng said health authorities have identified Uganda's border districts of Kyotera, Isingiro, Rakai, Kalangala, and Ntungamo as being at immediate high risk of disease importation.

According to the ministry, no confirmed or suspected cases of MVD -- characterized by symptoms such as headache, high fever, back pain, diarrhea, vomiting with blood, body weakness, and external bleeding -- have been reported in Uganda.

"We are aware that in addition to cross-border movements through the designated points of entry, there is rapid movement in the non-designated points of entry," Aceng said. "We have heightened points of entry surveillance, active case search, and public health communication in the high-risk border districts."

The WHO has classified the regional risk as high, citing Kagera's strategic role as a transit hub with extensive cross-border movement involving Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

"We advise the population to remain calm, especially the population in the high-risk districts," said Aceng. "They should remain vigilant and report any individual with the signs and symptoms consistent with Marburg and suspicious deaths to the nearest health facility. The ministry will monitor the situation and provide timely updates."

MVD is a highly virulent disease causing hemorrhagic fever, with a fatality rate of up to 88 percent, according to the WHO. The virus, which is zoonotic, is transmitted to humans through direct contact with body fluids of infected individuals or contaminated materials such as blood, tissues, or surfaces. Enditem

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