Health authorities in Tanzania, one of the world’s poorest countries, are investigating the outbreak Unknown disease killing at least five people in the northwest of the country. Urgent efforts are being made to identify the pathogen.

The Ministry of Health said that at least seven people in two villages in Bukoba district, which is part of Kagera district, developed symptoms including fever, vomiting, bleeding in different parts of the body and kidney failure. “The course of this disease indicates the possibility that it may be Infectious disease scienceDr. Tmini Nago said an emergency response team has been dispatched to the affected area to deal with the outbreak.

As of yesterday, Friday March 17, at least five people have died of the disease and the other two are still being treated at a local hospital. People with similar symptoms were asked to report them to a community health centre. “Samples were taken from the sick and the deceased to determine the source and ascertain the type of disease,” Nago said in a statement, urging citizens not to panic and remain calm.

The symptoms described by the Ministry of Health appear similar to viral hemorrhagic fevers caused by several viruses, including Ebola and Marburg. Neighboring Uganda experienced an Ebola outbreak late last year, and Equatorial Guinea is still dealing with a small outbreak of Marburg. Therefore, it is not excluded that the epidemic in Tanzania was caused by a type of virus already known to the scientific community.