Tanzania has denied World Health Organization (WHO) reports of a suspected new outbreak of Ebola-like Marburg virus in the country’s northwest.

On Tuesday, the global health agency said a total of nine suspected cases and eight deaths had been reported in the Kagera region over the past five days.

But Tanzanian Health Minister Jenista Mhangama said in a statement that all suspected cases tested negative for Marburg virus after samples were analyzed.

She said the country had strengthened its surveillance system and disease surveillance.

Mhangama said we “assured international organizations, including the World Health Organization, that we will always keep them informed of the latest developments”.

Tanzania experienced its first Marburg outbreak in March 2023 in the Bukoba region. The attacks killed six people and lasted nearly two months.

Symptoms of this highly contagious disease, which is similar to Ebola, include fever, muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting and, in some cases, death from extreme blood loss.

On Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that “more cases will emerge in the coming days as disease surveillance improves” in Tanzania’s latest suspected outbreak.

The World Health Organization reports that patients, including health care workers, have been identified and are being monitored.

It added that the country’s rapid response teams have been deployed to help identify suspected cases and contain the outbreak.

The World Health Organization warned that the risk of the suspected virus spreading in the region remains “high” as Kagera is a transit hub with large cross-border movements to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda.

“We are not recommending travel or trade restrictions for Tanzania at this time,” Dr Tedros said on X.

The World Health Organization said the global risk posed by the outbreak was “low” and there were no concerns about the disease spreading internationally at this stage.

Tanzania’s health minister said that upon receiving the report, an expert team was immediately deployed to the Kagera region and samples were collected there.

She said laboratory results had ruled out a suspected Marburg outbreak, but the minister did not clarify the total number of suspected cases under investigation.

In December, neighboring Rwanda announced that the country’s outbreak, which had infected 66 people and killed 15, was over.

On average, Marburg virus kills half of those infectedaccording to WHO.

Marburg virus is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and then to humans through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

There are no specific treatments or vaccines for the virus, although trials are ongoing.