Ethiopia Declares End to First Marburg Virus Outbreak Following Swift Response
Ethiopia declared the end of its first Marburg virus outbreak on Jan. 26, 2026, after no new cases for 42 days, according to the World Health Organization. The outbreak that started on Nov. 14, 2025, in South Ethiopia saw 14 confirmed cases and nine deaths before being contained in less than three months with rapid public health interventions.
The World Health Organization reported that the declaration followed completion of enhanced surveillance and the required 42-day follow-up after the last confirmed case received a safe burial on Dec. 14, 2025. According to ministry data the outbreak affected four districts with cases in Jinka, Malle and Arba Minch in the South Ethiopia Region plus Hawassa in Sidama Region. In all 857 contacts were identified and monitored for 21 days each while three health workers became infected of whom two died and one recovered.
Response activities centered on active case detection, patient isolation with supportive care, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, safe burials and community engagement the WHO stated. The organization activated its emergency response within 24 hours of confirmation and deployed 36 experts while repurposing 28 additional staff members to bolster local capacity. Critical supplies including laboratory testing kits, viral hemorrhagic fever materials and personal protective equipment were delivered to support field operations.
Honourable Dr Mekdes Daba, Ethiopia’s Minister of Health, said “The rapid containment of this outbreak reflects strong leadership, effective coordination, and the resilience of our health workers and communities.” Dr Francis Chisaka Kasolo, WHO Representative in Ethiopia, stated “WHO highly values the strong collaboration with the Ministry of Health and partners. The timely implementation of control measures, supported by our technical expertise and resources, has helped bring this outbreak to an end.” Dr Senait Tekeste Fekadu, WHO Incident Manager for the Marburg outbreak, noted “Preparedness saved time and lives. Our investments in training, infrastructure, and systems paid off during this response.”
Health authorities have initiated plans for a survivor follow-up programme together with after-action reviews to capture lessons from the response according to the WHO. A CDC scenario assessment found that the outbreak remained limited to the initial regions without wider national spread. Ethiopia entered a 90-day enhanced surveillance period immediately after the declaration to detect any potential resurgence.
WHO data places the average case fatality rate for Marburg virus disease at around 50 percent though past outbreaks have ranged from 24 percent to 88 percent. For comparison a 2024 outbreak in Rwanda reported by the WHO recorded 66 cases with 15 deaths while the 2023 Equatorial Guinea event saw 40 cases and 35 deaths. The virus originates in fruit bats and spreads between people through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals the WHO fact sheet states with no approved vaccines or specific treatments currently available.
