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Volume 32, Number 1—January 2026

Research

Genomic Insights into Marburg Virus Strains from 2023 and 2025 Outbreaks in Kagera, Tanzania

Lawrence A. Mapunda1, Medard Beyanga1, Nyambura MoremiComments to Author , Jean N. Hakizimana, Doreen Kamori, Alfred Chacha, Edna Mgimba, Dennis Mrosso, Ambele E. Mwafulango, Jackson Mushumbusi, Ferdinand Ndunguru, Seif Abdul, Emmanuel Mkumbo, Maria E. Kelly, Céline Barnadas, Vida Mmbaga, Rogath Kishimba, Samwel Laizer, Ntuli Kapologwe, Michael Kiremeji, Erasto Sylvanus, Angela Samwel, Saumu Nungu, Emmanuel Achol, Julien Nguinkal, Hakimu Idris Lagu, Muna Affara, Florian Gehre, Calvin Sindato, Chacha Mangu, Elias Nyanda Ntinginya, Saida Murugwa, Pawan Angra, Shannon Whitmer, George Mgomella, Mahesh Swaminathan, Wangeci Gatei, Dorcas Wanjohi, Sofonias Tessema, Yenew Kebede, Said Aboud, Charles Sagoe-Moses, Alex Magesa, Gerald Misinzo, Tumaini Nagu, and Grace Magembe
Author affiliation: National Public Health Laboratory, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (L.A. Mapunda, N. Moremi, A. Chacha, E. Mgimba, D. Mrosso, A.E. Mwafulango, J. Mushumbusi, F. Ndunguru, S. Abdul); Ministry of Health, Dodoma, Tanzania (M. Beyanga, E. Mkumbo, V. Mmbaga, R. Kishimba, S. Laizer, N. Kapologwe, M. Kiremeji, E. Sylvanus, A. Samwel, S. Nungu, A. Magesa, T. Nagu, G. Magembe); Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania (J.N. Hakizimana, G. Misinzo); Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam (D. Kamori); World Health Organization, Dar es Salaam (M.E. Kelly, C. Sagoe-Moses); World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland (C. Barnadas); East African Community, Arusha, Tanzania (E. Achol, J. Nguinkal, H.I. Lagu, M. Affara, F. Gehre); Bernhard Notch Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany (M. Affara, F. Gehre); National Institute for Medical Research, Dodoma (C. Sindato, C. Mangu, E.N. Ntinginya, S. Aboud); US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dar es Salaam (S. Murugwa, P. Angra, S. Whitmer, G. Mgomella, M. Swaminathan, W. Gatei); Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (D. Wanjohi, S. Tessema, Y. Kebede)

Main Article

Figure 1

Locations of the 2023 and 2025 Marburg virus outbreaks in Kagera region, northwest Tanzania. A) The outbreaks occurred in northwest Tanzania, west of Lake Victoria, in Bukoba Rural and Biharamulo districts of the Kagera region. The region borders Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda. Green shading indicates Kagera region. Red shading indicates the affected districts. B) Expanded view of boxed area from panel A shows epicenters for both outbreaks (stars). Upper box marks the location of the 2023 outbreak in a village south of Bukoba town; lower box marks the location of the second outbreak in a village north of Biharamulo town. C) Locations of the 2023 outbreak in Bukoba Rural district. Red dots indicate affected villages. D) Locations of the 2025 outbreak in Biharamulo district. Red dots indicate affected villages.

Figure 1. Locations of the 2023 and 2025 Marburg virus outbreaks in Kagera region, northwest Tanzania. A) The outbreaks occurred in northwest Tanzania, west of Lake Victoria, in Bukoba Rural and Biharamulo districts of the Kagera region. The region borders Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda. Green shading indicates Kagera region. Red shading indicates the affected districts. B) Expanded view of boxed area from panel A shows epicenters for both outbreaks (stars). Upper box marks the location of the 2023 outbreak in a village south of Bukoba town; lower box marks the location of the second outbreak in a village north of Biharamulo town. C) Locations of the 2023 outbreak in Bukoba Rural district. Red dots indicate affected villages. D) Locations of the 2025 outbreak in Biharamulo district. Red dots indicate affected villages.

Main Article

1These first authors contributed equally to this article.

Page created: December 18, 2025
Page updated: January 29, 2026
Page reviewed: January 29, 2026
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