Geneva — The World Health Organization declared an end to the Marburg virus outbreak in East Africa on Monday, 42 days after the last confirmed patient tested negative, marking the close of an emergency response that spanned five months and three countries.
The outbreak infected 187 people and claimed 94 lives before containment measures, including contact tracing, ring vaccination trials, and community engagement campaigns, brought transmission to a halt. Health workers credited early detection systems put in place after previous regional outbreaks with limiting the outbreak's spread beyond its initial epicentre.
WHO officials cautioned that the underlying risk of zoonotic spillover from fruit bat populations, the presumed natural reservoir for Marburg virus, remains unchanged. "Ending this outbreak doesn't mean the threat is gone," said WHO regional emergency director Dr. Fiona Braka. "It means our response worked this time."