Staff Reporter

Following the outbreak of the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in Bukoba District, Tanzania, Government has announced that it has put mitigatory measures to protect the country from the virus.

Eight MVD cases were reported in Tanzania and five people have already succumbed to it.

A Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) official who spoke to this publication said that Zimbabweans should not panic as mitigatory measures were already in place to thwart the spread of the disease, in the event that it reaches the country.

“The MoHCC has put in place mitigatory measures to thwart the spread of the MVD in the event that the cases are reported in Zimbabwe. The symptoms of MVD are synonymous to that of COVID-19 and Ebola, prevention guidelines for this disease are being used at all exit and entry points in the country,” said the source.

The source further noted that the virus was a threat not just to Tanzania but the entire Southern Africa region.

“Cumulatively, a total of eight confirmed cases were recorded with five deaths having been recorded so far. The virus is a threat not only to Tanzania but to neighboring countries and Zimbabwe included due to the increased number of travelers between the two countries,” said the source.

Meanwhile, MVD is a highly fatal hemorrhagic disease caused by the Marburg virus. Human to human transmission occurs through direct contact with bloody fluids from infected persons or contact with equipment and other materials contaminated with infectious blood or tissues.