Tanzania's president has announced an outbreak of Marburg virus, an Ebola-like virus, just a week after her health minister denied that there were any cases in the country. President Samia Suluhu Hassan said at a press conference on Monday that health authorities had confirmed one case of Marburg in the north-western region of Kagera.

Marburg virus is transmitted to humans through contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, or from fruit bats.

Officials previously questioned whether the deadly disease was indeed present in the African country, which had seen 8 suspected Marburg deaths.

Tanzania has confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in its northwest region. President Hassan and WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed the situation, highlighting response efforts and funds allocated to contain the virus.

Lab tests identified one patient as being infected by the virus, Samia Suluhu Hassan says. The viral hemorrhagic fever has a fatality rate as high as 88%, and is from the same virus family as the one

The disease, which is similar to Ebola, can spread between humans through bodily fluids and lead to hemorrhaging and death.

Tanzania today confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in the northwestern Kagera region after one case tested positive for the virus following investigations and laboratory analysis of suspected cases of the disease.

Tanzania's government said no-one in the country had tested positive for the Marburg virus after the World Health Organization (WHO) said at least eight people in the northwest were believed to have died from it.

Tanzania has pushed back against a report from the World Health Organization warning of a new Marburg virus outbreak in the country.

WHO reported eight suspected cases of the Marburg virus in Tanzania. However, health officials in the country have denied the presence of the virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a suspected outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in the Kagera region of northwestern Tanzania, with nine people reportedly infected, of whom eight have died.