Ethiopia declares end of first Marburg virus disease outbreak

Ethiopia's Ministry of Health declared the end of its first-ever Marburg virus disease outbreak on 26 January 2026 after 42 days without new cases, recording 19 cases and nine deaths. The episode underscores for businesses and markets that strengthened disease surveillance and response infrastructure reduces workforce-health risk and supports ESG human-health commitments.

Ethiopia officially declared the end of its first-ever Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak following sustained control measures meeting global outbreak-management standards. The Ministry of Health announced on 26 January 2026 that two full consecutive incubation periods (42 days) passed without any new confirmed case since the last fatality was safely buried. The outbreak first emerged in Jinka town, South Ethiopia Region, in November 2025, with laboratory testing at the Ethiopian Public Health Institute confirming Marburg virus in mid-November 2025.

The outbreak affected patients, contacts, and health systems across affected districts. A cumulative 19 cases were reported, including 14 laboratory-confirmed and five probable, of which nine confirmed cases died, yielding a case fatality rate of over 60% among confirmed patients. Contact tracing followed over 850 contacts through their 21-day risk period, and approximately 3,800 diagnostic samples were tested. WHO and partners provided technical support, enhancing clinical care facilities, laboratory networks, and infection prevention and control practices throughout the response.

WHO emphasised sustaining early detection and response capabilities even after the outbreak's end, given the risk of spillover from fruit bat reservoirs and re-emergence. The response demonstrated how national taskforces, public health emergency operations centres, and community engagement limit high-risk pathogen spread. For businesses and markets, strengthened surveillance and response infrastructure reduces workforce-health and continuity-planning risk. Policymakers and corporations should embed these systems for future threats to manage biosafety risks and uphold ESG commitments to human health.

Key figure — Case fatality rate: over 60% among confirmed patients (nine deaths from 19 cases)