Ethiopia confirmed its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease after sending samples from a cluster of suspected cases of viral hemorrhagic fever for testing earlier this week.
The virus is the same strain reported in previous outbreaks in other East African nations, the World Health Organization said late Friday. Nine cases, including health workers, have been reported in Ethiopia’s southern region near South Sudan. The WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said Ethiopia moved quickly to identify the virus and begin containment efforts.