WHO Director-General’s Opening Remarks at the Media Briefing on the Outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease – 20 January 2025
Your Excellency President Samia Suluhu Hassan,
Members of the media, dear colleagues, and friends,
Habari Za mchana. Thank you all for coming today.
First, I would like to express my gratitude to Her Excellency for her warm hospitality in inviting me to Tanzania, and for her leadership and dedication to the health of her citizens.
We have just concluded a productive meeting covering a wide range of topics related to the government’s efforts to strengthen its health system and provide essential services to advance the health of all Tanzanians. This meeting follows up on our discussions during the G20 in Brazil in November 2024.
I took the opportunity to commend the President for the substantial investments made in emergency preparedness over recent years. I also acknowledged Tanzania’s successful launch of the Universal Health and Preparedness Review report, which highlights the country’s commitment to building health system resilience.
Additionally, I congratulated the President on the enactment of the Universal Health Insurance Act 2023, which demonstrates Tanzania’s dedication to achieving universal health coverage.
We also discussed the government’s efforts to strengthen its health workforce, particularly through the launch of the Community Health Workers Program in 2023, which is helping to introduce more graduate health workers into the sector.
WHO is proud to have supported Tanzania in building new capacities for delivering health services, including the training of health workers. All of these efforts reflect the government’s commitment to improving the health of all Tanzanians, particularly women and children, as evidenced by the reduction in maternal and child mortality. I once again commend you, Your Excellency.
Her Excellency also briefed me on the confirmation of an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in the northwestern Kagera region, and I assured her of WHO’s continued support to bring the outbreak under control.
Since the first suspected cases of Marburg were reported, Tanzania has quickly scaled up its response by enhancing case detection, setting up treatment centres, establishing a mobile laboratory for testing samples, and deploying national response teams.
Tanzania has gained valuable experience in controlling Marburg, as this is the second reported outbreak of the disease in Kagera. The first outbreak occurred almost two years ago, in March 2023, when nine cases and six deaths were reported.
The government’s investments in response to the previous outbreak have built capacities that will, I hope, enable Tanzania to bring this new outbreak under control swiftly.
To support Tanzania’s response, I am releasing US$ 3 million from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies. This is in addition to the US$ 50,000 we contributed earlier to support the initial investigation.
I would also like to express my gratitude to our partners, including the European Union, US government agencies, the United Kingdom, and numerous other national and international health partners, for their strong collaboration in helping to control this current outbreak, under the leadership of the government.
Unfortunately, there are no approved treatments or vaccines for Marburg as of now, although several are in development. However, outbreaks can be quickly controlled with proven public health measures to prevent infections and save lives, as Tanzania demonstrated in 2023.
Given the low global risk and the strong capabilities of the Tanzanian government, WHO advises against imposing any restrictions on trade and travel to the country. As Her Excellency mentioned, Tanzania is open for business.
Now is a time for collaboration and commitment to protecting the health of all people in Tanzania and the region from the risks posed by this disease.
WHO, working with its partners and under the leadership of the government, is committed to supporting Tanzania in bringing the outbreak under control as soon as possible and in building a healthier, safer, and fairer future for all the people of Tanzania.
Thank you, Your Excellency, for your deep commitment to health, and I assure you that you have our full support.
