Doctors issue urgent warning over 'eye-bleeding disease' as death toll rises to eight

Doctors around the world have issued a warning over an 'eye-bleeding disease' as nine suspected cases have recently been reported, including eight deaths.

Global health chiefs from the World Health Organization (WHO) have warned of cases of the Marburg virus in Tanzania, Africa.

However, the Tanzanian government has denied a suspected Marburg outbreak.

The life-threatening hemorrhagic fever is passed on through bodily fluids, contaminated objects or infected animals, though it is not easily transmitted.

An illustration of the Marbug virus (Getty Stock Image)

What are the symptoms of the Marburg virus?

Among its horrendous and abrupt symptoms, suffers can bleed internally or from their eyes, ears and mouth, yet with no vaccines to cure the disease, it remains largely untreatable.

Other symptoms include fever, muscle pain, rashes, diarrhoea, stomach pain, vomiting and headaches that become increasingly worse, as well as a 'ghost-like' appearance with deep-set eyes.

In the initial stages, doctors warn it is difficult to diagnose Marburg as it appears similar to other tropical diseases such as Ebola and malaria.

Concerns raised

Officials raised concerns earlier this month after the sudden illness affected six people and killed five of them, with experts believing Marburg was the cause.

The WHO has sent its expert teams to the north-eastern Kagera region, in the districts Biharamulo and Muleba, where all of the reported cases have so far been recorded.

However, medics are warning the virus could potentially spread to neighboring countries, such as Rwanda and Burundi, and have issued a warning for travellers since it has a case-fatality ratio of up to 88 percent.

It could have spread from fruit bats (Getty Stock Image)

'Low global risk'

The WHO emphasised: "The global risk is currently assessed as low. There is no confirmed international spread at this stage, although there are concerns about potential risks."

The news of its spread to Tanzania comes as a Marburg outbreak in Rwanda came to an end just a month ago after infecting 66 people and killing 15.

An estimated 80 percent of the infected were healthcare workers but the country received international praise for how it handled the crisis and its low death rate.

In comparison, Tanzania's Bukoba district struggled to grapple with an outbreak that lasted for almost two months in March last year.

On January 14, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on Twitter that further cases could come to light in the next few days 'as disease surveillance improves'.

WHO officials also said in a separate statement: "The source of the outbreak is currently unknown. The delayed detection and isolation of cases, coupled with ongoing contact tracing, indicates lack of a full information of the current outbreak."

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warns more cases could come to light (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

The experts say they predict 'more cases' will be identified with the risk considered 'high' due to 'Kagera region's strategic location as a transit hub, with significant cross-border movement of the population to Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo'.

The statement continued: "Reportedly, some of the suspected cases are in districts near international borders, highlighting the potential for spread into neighbouring countries.

"Marburg is not easily transmissible. In most instances, it requires contact with the body fluids of a sick patient presenting with symptoms or with surfaces contaminated with these fluids.

"However, it cannot be excluded that a person exposed to the virus may be traveling."

Tanzania's response

Tanzania's Health Minister Jenista Mhagama has since claimed that after samples were analysed, all suspected cases were found negative for Marburg virus.

"As of 15th January 2025, laboratory results for all suspected individuals were negative for Marburg virus," she said, before saying they 'would like to assure the international organisations, including WHO that we shall always keep them up to date with ongoing development'.