ADDIS ABABA, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian Ministry of Health on Monday confirmed that three individuals have died from the Marburg virus disease.
Addressing a press briefing, Ethiopian Minister of Health Mekdes Daba said 17 suspected cases were identified and tested, with three confirmed positive.
Though six people who had exhibited symptoms of the virus have died, laboratory confirmation was only possible for the three verified cases, said the minister.
Daba said the East African country currently has no active Marburg cases, and coordinated efforts are currently underway to identify and isolate those who might have been exposed to the virus.
On Friday, the Ethiopian government confirmed a Marburg virus disease outbreak in Jinka town in southern Ethiopia, following laboratory testing of samples from a cluster of suspected cases of viral hemorrhagic fever.
The outbreak is the first of its kind in the country.
The Marburg virus, a highly infectious pathogen with a high fatality rate, causes hemorrhagic fever. Symptoms, including high fever and severe headache, typically appear within a week of exposure. It belongs to the same virus family as Ebola, according to the World Health Organization.
