# Ethiopia's first Marburg virus outbreak ends after 14 confirmed cases and 9 deaths in South Ethiopia Regional State > Declared over on January 26, 2026, after two incubation periods with no new cases, the outbreak began in Jinka town in November 2025 and killed all five probable cases alongside nine of fourteen confirmed patients **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-01-26 · heads: What Broke, The Long Game · 6 takes · 4 lenses · 3 regions ## Summary Ethiopia declared the end of its first [Marburg](/en/entity/marburg) virus disease outbreak on January 26, 2026, after two consecutive incubation periods (42 days) elapsed since the death and safe burial of the last confirmed case on December 14, 2025. The outbreak was confirmed on November 14, 2025 in Jinka town, located in the South Ethiopia Regional State in the Omo Valley region. By January 25, 2026, the cumulative total was 14 confirmed cases and 9 deaths (case fatality rate 64.3%), plus 5 probable cases all of whom died. Ethiopian health authorities, supported by WHO, CDC and regional partners, conducted contact tracing of 857 individuals, all of whom completed their 21-day monitoring period with no additional confirmed cases. No Marburg cases linked to the Ethiopia outbreak were reported outside the country. The outbreak was notable as the first ever Marburg virus disease event in Ethiopia and among the larger recent events of the disease outside the historical Angola 2004-05 outbreak. ## The split WHO and African public health institutions framed the outbreak end as a rapid-response success, citing the effective contact-tracing operation and the absence of spread to other regions of Ethiopia or to neighboring countries. Ethiopian media covered the declaration of outbreak end as national health news. International infectious disease media and journals focused on the epidemiological significance of detecting Marburg in a new country (Ethiopia), which had not previously been recorded in outbreak history, and on what the detection implies about the geographic range of the Egyptian fruit bat reservoir. South African and East African public health agencies issued regional risk assessments noting that the fruit bat reservoir is present across much of East Africa. ## By the numbers - 14, confirmed [Marburg](/en/entity/marburg) cases (as of January 25, 2026) - 9, deaths among confirmed cases (CFR 64.3%) - 5, probable cases (all died) - 14+5 = 19 total deaths - 857, contacts monitored through 21-day follow-up - November 14, 2025, onset of first confirmed case (Jinka, South Ethiopia) - December 14, 2025, date of last confirmed death and safe burial - January 26, 2026, date outbreak declared over ## Why it matters Marburg virus is among the most lethal pathogens in the filovirus family, with CFRs ranging from 24 to 88 percent across historical outbreaks. The appearance of [Marburg](/en/entity/marburg) in Ethiopia for the first time extends the known outbreak geography in the Horn of Africa and raises questions about bat-to-human spillover pathways in the Omo Valley, a region with significant agropastoral activity and wildlife interface zones. The rapid containment, achieved through aggressive contact tracing in a remote and resource-limited setting, provides a data point for outbreak response planning. The precedent of Marburg appearing in a country with no prior outbreak history is relevant to biopreparedness planning across all East African states where the Rousettus fruit bat is present. ## What to watch - Whether follow-up ecological investigations identify the specific bat colony associated with the Jinka spillover - Whether WHO updates the Africa Marburg outbreak risk map to include Ethiopia as an endemic zone - Ethiopia's post-outbreak review and whether it leads to updated Marburg surveillance protocols in Omo Valley healthcare facilities - Any report of linked cases that emerged after the declared end date ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### unlabelled - **WHO (Disease Outbreak News DON592)** (International, en) — WHO Disease Outbreak News DON592: Ethiopia Marburg virus disease outbreak. Onset November 14, 2025 in Jinka town, South Ethiopia Regional State. Cumulative total as of January 25, 2026: 14 confirmed cases, 9 deaths (CFR 64.3%); 5 probable cases (all died). Outbreak declared over January 26, 2026 after two consecutive incubation periods (42 days) since the last confirmed death and safe burial on December 14, 2025. 857 contacts completed 21-day monitoring. First ever Marburg virus disease outbreak in Ethiopia. Source: https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2026-DON592 - **Pandemic Pact** (International, en) — Source: https://www.pandemicpact.org/outbreaks/marburg-virus - **Outbreak News Today** (United States, en) — Source: https://outbreaknewstoday.substack.com/p/ethiopia-marburg-virus-outbreak-update ### US public health - **CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)** (United States, en) — CDC Marburg situation summary for the Ethiopia 2025-26 outbreak: confirmed the case count, CFR, and contact tracing figures. Notes the outbreak was the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa since the Angola 2004-05 outbreak (252 cases, 227 deaths). No linked cases reported outside Ethiopia. > "Marburg Outbreak in Ethiopia: Current Situation." Source: https://www.cdc.gov/marburg/situation-summary/index.html ### infectious disease research - **CIDRAP (University of Minnesota)** (United States, en) — CIDRAP tracking of the Ethiopia outbreak including real-time case count updates and epidemiological analysis. Noted the high case fatality rate, the remote location of the initial cases in the Omo Valley region, and the scale of the contact-tracing operation involving 857 monitored individuals. > "Death toll climbs in Ethiopia's Marburg outbreak." Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/marburg/death-toll-climbs-ethiopias-marburg-outbreak ### African public health - **NICD (National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa)** (South Africa, en) — NICD January 2026 update on the Ethiopia outbreak: outbreak end declared January 26. Provides regional risk assessment for southern Africa and context on the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) as the presumed reservoir in the Horn of Africa region. Notes this was the first detection of Marburg in Ethiopia, adding a new country to the outbreak history. > "An update on the Marburg Virus Disease outbreak in Ethiopia, January 2026." Source: https://www.nicd.ac.za/an-update-on-the-marburg-virus-disease-outbreak-in-ethiopia-january-2026/ ## Across the graph - Entities: Marburg --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/en/n/marburg-ethiopia-2026