Dylan Bettencourt
The Tanzanian government has dispatched a team of doctors and health experts to probe a mysterious illness that has taken the lives of three people.
The deceased died from an unknown virus with symptoms such as fever, headaches, fatigue and nosebleeds.
So far 13 cases of the illness have been detected in the southeastern region of Lindi including the three that lost their lives.
The government’s chief medical officer Aifello Sichalwe said the patients all tested negative for Ebola, Marburg and Covid-19.
One of the patients was able to recover with the remaining still in isolation, Sichalwe said.
Contact tracing protocols were underway to establish if anyone else has been infected.
“The government formed a team of professionals who are still investigating this unknown disease,” he said.
The chief medical officer called for the country to remain calm while they investigate.
Sichalwe urged anyone with similar symptoms to immediately seek medical attention.
Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan said that the strange disease was a consequence of a growing interaction between humans and wild animals which is caused by environmental degradation.
Last week Ghana reported two suspected cases of Marburg, a virus that belongs to the Ebola family and has symptoms such as high fever as well as external and internal bleeding.
Image source: @AFP
