TRACKING EMERGING VIRUSES – November 16, 2025 – EBOLA/ MARBURG
“Ethiopia has confirmed its first-ever Marburg virus outbreak, with nine cases identified in the Omo region, which borders South Sudan. The announcement follows an investigation into a suspected viral haemorrhagic fever, for which the Ethiopian government had been praised for its transparency by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), commended Ethiopia’s swift response, stating it demonstrated a “commitment to bringing the outbreak under control quickly.” The WHO has dispatched a technical team to support the East African nation with testing and outbreak response efforts.
The UN agency confirmed it is also “providing essential supplies, including personal protective equipment for health workers and infection-prevention supplies, as well as a rapidly deployable isolation tent to bolster clinical care and management capacity.” Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya voiced concern over the outbreak’s proximity to South Sudan, noting its “fragile health system.”
The disease was initially recognised in 1967 following two large simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany, and in Belgrade, Serbia. It is thought that the disease initially results from prolonged human exposure to caves or mines inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies.” (1)
“As per the Centres of Disease Control and Prevention, initial symptoms of the Marburg virus include fever, headache, chills, and muscle aches. Others reported signs include chest pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. In the worst cases, severe blood loss and multi-organ failure may also occur. The WHO warned that patients who contracted the virus would develop a non-itchy rash 2-7 days after the onset.
As per past trends, deaths typically occur between eight and nine days after the onset of the virus. It is preceded by intense blood loss and shock. The Marburg virus’ fatality rate if roughly 50 per cent. For now, there are no vaccines or anti-viral treatments that exist to
The Marburg has been previously reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda, according to the WHO. The virus was likely to have jumped from bats to humans and can recur multiple times, even after the outbreak has been contained.” (2)
“WHO has deployed experts to the affected towns, along with medicines and other materials to support care for people in need, and personal protective equipment for health workers,” Tedros said.
The 11 technical officers will assist in several areas including disease surveillance, investigation and testing, as well as infection prevention and control.
The agency is providing other essential supplies, including a rapidly deployable isolation tent to boost clinical care and management capacity.
Tedros also released $300,000 from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies to provide immediate support to the national authorities.
“WHO’s offices in Ethiopia and South Sudan are collaborating closely to prevent potential cross-border transmission,” he said, and the agency “is ready to scale up support, as and when needed.”” (3)
Expanded vaccination drive protecting communities against Ebola, https://www.afro.who.int/photo-story/expanded-vaccination-drive-protecting-communities-against-ebola
“Since the virus was discovered in 1976, there have been 16 outbreaks in the DRC, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The most recent large-scale outbreak, the largest in the DRC’s history, occurred in North Kivu and Ituri between 2018 and 2020. It was the world’s second-largest outbreak after one in west Africa between 2014 and 2016 which spread across a number of countries, infecting more than 28,600 people and killing 11,325.
The latest outbreak was complicated by the remoteness of the affected area. “It took some of us four days to reach Bulape from Kinshasa because we had to cross forests,” recalls Chiara Montaldo, the medical response coordinator in Kasai for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). “We had to bring everything from outside, like medicines, materials for building tents, even water-decontamination supplies,” she says.
Shortly after reaching the affected area, medics from MSF, the World Health Organization and the DRC’s health ministry established a 32-bed Ebola treatment centre at Bulape general hospital, where Héritier was admitted.”
“Bulape’s isolation, while a logistical nightmare, has also helped keep the virus local. By contrast, the 2014–16 outbreak in west Africa quickly spread across three countries.” (4)
1.Ethiopia reports first Marburg outbreak as WHO sends team to Omo region, By Reuters, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/marburg-virus-bats-ethiopia-rate-b2865600.html
2.What is Marburg virus? Ethiopia reports outbreak, at least 9 infected with ‘Ebola cousin’, by Kuhu Verma, https://www.financialexpress.com/life/health/what-is-marburg-virus-ethiopia-reports-outbreak-at-least-9-infected-with-ebola-cousin/4045248
3.Ethiopia: UN supports response to potentially deadly virus outbreak, https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/11/1166355
4.Waiting for the all-clear: how medics and villagers rallied when Ebola returned to DRC, by Tam Patachako, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/10/ebola-disease-outbreak-democratic-republic-congo-drc-kasai
curated by Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H.
Clinical Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Final & POSTED
TRACKING EMERGING VIRUSES – November 2, 2025 – EBOLA
“After several weeks of collaborating with the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and local authorities, on a response to Ebola in Bulape, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams handed over all activities at the Ebola treatment centre last Friday.
The last confirmed case of Ebola was recorded on 26 September, and the number of alerts and suspected patients admitted to the Bulape Ebola treatment centre has since dropped sharply. The last patient cured from the disease was discharged on 19 October. If no new cases are confirmed, the outbreak can be declared over on 30 November, in line with the 42-day rule without a new confirmed case.
“Given this positive development, we’ve been able to conclude our emergency intervention in Bulape, withdraw our teams, and allow other organisations – particularly the Ministry of Health – to take over,” says Dr Maria Mashako, MSF’s medical coordinator in Kinshasa. “We are proud to have played a key role in responding to this epidemic, in which collaboration with the authorities, WHO, and the community made it possible to overcome many challenges.” (1)
“The last Ebola patient in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was discharged today, marking an important milestone in the efforts to end the outbreak. The recovery kicks off a 42-day countdown to declaring the outbreak over if no further cases are confirmed.
A total of 19 patients have recovered from the disease. No new cases have been reported since 25 September. In total, 64 cases (53 confirmed and 11 probable) have been reported since the outbreak was declared on 4 September in Bulape health zone, in Kasai Province.
The outbreak occurred in a rural and hard-to-reach locality. Despite the challenges of distance, poor roads, and limited infrastructure, the Ministry of Health, with strong support from World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, acted swiftly to scale up outbreak response measures.
WHO deployed multidisciplinary teams to strengthen surveillance, clinical care, infection prevention and control, logistics, community engagement and other key response measures. A 32-bed Ebola treatment centre, fitted with a two-bed Intensive Infectious Disease Treatment Module (IIDTM), was set up in record time, the first deployment of its kind outside a simulation exercise setting in the region. Additionally, more than 35 000 people have been vaccinated against Ebola in Bulape.” (2)
“The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is scaling up health security operations across Africa, responding swiftly to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and supporting mpox preparedness and response efforts in several countries, including Angola, Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Malawi, South Sudan, and Uganda.
IOM is supporting operations at 90 points of entry and cross-border areas in 15 countries, focusing on population mobility data, capacity strengthening for border officials, cross-border coordination, surveillance, and risk communication and community engagement. These efforts protect mobile communities, people along high-risk transit corridors, and those in hard-to-reach areas.
“Our top priority is to make fully operational all identified points of entry and screening points, strengthen local workforce capacity and ensure communities along mobility corridors are protected,” said Frantz Celestin, Regional Director for East, Horn and Southern Africa. “These measures help prevent the spread of disease and keep both travelers and border communities safe.”” (3)
1.MSF hands over Ebola response activities in DRC, https://www.msf.org/msf-hands-over-ebola-activities-drc
2.Last Ebola patient in Democratic Republic of the Congo discharged, https://www.afro.who.int/news/last-ebola-patient-democratic-republic-congo-discharged
3.IOM Ramps Up Ebola and Mpox Response in Africa, https://www.iom.int/news/iom-ramps-ebola-and-mpox-response-africa
curated by Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H.
Clinical Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai