ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has announced plans to mobilize immediate support to help Tanzania combat its latest Marburg virus outbreak.

In a statement issued Monday, the Africa CDC confirmed the deployment of a team of 12 public health experts within the next 24 hours. This followed Tanzania's declaration of an outbreak in the northwestern Kagera region, with one confirmed case and 25 suspected cases reported.

The multidisciplinary team will include epidemiologists, risk communication specialists, and experts in infection prevention, control, and laboratory diagnostics. Their mission is to assist in surveillance, diagnostics, case management, and community engagement efforts to curb the spread of the highly infectious and often fatal disease.

The Africa CDC emphasized its collaboration with Tanzanian authorities to ensure coordinated efforts and to secure high-level political commitment for the response.

Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said the continental public health agency is committing two million U.S. dollars to bolster Tanzania's immediate response measures, which will be used to deploy experts, enhance diagnostic capabilities, and support case management systems.

"Africa CDC stands firmly with Tanzania in this critical moment. Building on Tanzania's commendable response during the 2023 outbreak, we are confident that swift and decisive action, combined with our support and those of other partners, will bring this outbreak under control," Kaseya said.

The latest outbreak marked the East African nation's second encounter with the deadly virus, following a previous outbreak in March 2023 that resulted in nine cases and six deaths, according to the Africa CDC.

Marburg virus disease is a severe and often fatal hemorrhagic illness transmitted from fruit bats to humans. Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with an infected person's bodily fluids or contaminated materials. There is currently no vaccine or specific treatment for the virus. Infection prevention and control protocols similar to those used for Ebola are essential to limiting its spread. Enditem

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