Ethiopia declares its first Marburg outbreak over after 42 days with no new confirmed cases

Outbreak ends after the standard monitoring period

Ethiopia has formally declared the end of its first Marburg virus outbreak, marking a major milestone after nearly three months of response work. Officials said the country completed the required 42-day follow-up window—two full incubation cycles—without recording a new confirmed case, clearing the threshold used to announce an outbreak has stopped.

The outbreak was first confirmed on November 14, 2025, in Ethiopia’s south, near the border region with South Sudan. Authorities reported 14 confirmed cases overall, with nine deaths and five recoveries, and noted that additional deaths were also reviewed as possible Marburg cases during the episode.

Health workers were among those infected

Officials said three health workers were infected during the outbreak; two died and one recovered. Their cases underscored the dangers frontline staff face when responding to viral hemorrhagic fevers, particularly in settings where rapid isolation, protective equipment, and strict infection prevention practices are critical.

Containment required aggressive measures in surveillance and contact follow-up. Public health teams worked to identify potential exposures, monitor symptoms, and ensure suspected cases were evaluated quickly to prevent silent spread across communities.

WHO support focused on surveillance, labs, case management and logistics

The World Health Organization supported Ethiopia’s response through technical guidance and operational assistance. That included help on surveillance and contact tracing, laboratory diagnostics to confirm or rule out infections, case and infection management, as well as coordination and logistics needed to sustain field operations.

Officials credited intensified monitoring and coordinated action for bringing the outbreak under control in less than three months. The announcement is expected to shift the national posture from emergency containment to continued readiness, including strengthened systems for early detection of future cases.

What Marburg is and why outbreaks are feared

Marburg virus is believed to originate in fruit bats and can spread between people through direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces. Symptoms can include fever and severe gastrointestinal illness, and in some cases the disease can progress to fatal bleeding.

There is currently no widely licensed vaccine or specific treatment for Marburg, meaning outbreak control relies heavily on rapid detection, isolation, supportive care, and infection prevention protocols. Public health experts say the end-of-outbreak declaration is significant, but they also emphasize the need to maintain surveillance to catch any re-emergence early.