Nigeria, Nov. 15 -- The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that Ethiopia has recorded its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease.

Health officials confirmed the development after laboratory tests detected the virus in samples collected from a cluster of suspected viral haemorrhagic fever cases in the South Ethiopia Region.

In a statement on Friday, WHO added that genetic analysis by the Ethiopia Public Health Institute shows the identified strain is similar to those detected in previous outbreaks across East African countries.

Marburg virus disease is a rare but severe illness caused by the Marburg virus. It is transmitted to humans through fruit bats and spreads rapidly between people through direct contact with the bodily...