WHO Sends Emergency Team to Ethiopia Health Alert
Addis Ababa: Health authorities in Ethiopia have launched an investigation into a suspected outbreak of viral haemorrhagic fever in the South Ethiopia Region, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to deploy an emergency response team and deliver medical supplies to support containment and diagnosis efforts.
According to the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, eight suspected cases have so far been reported. Laboratory testing is underway at the Ethiopia Public Health Institute to identify the exact cause of infection.
While WHO’s official release confirms eight suspected cases, it does not mention any fatalities. However, local media outlets have reported at least six deaths, including two health workers, in the South Omo Zone’s Jinka town, citing unnamed regional sources. These reports have not been independently verified, and neither WHO nor the Ethiopia Public Health Institute has confirmed any deaths linked to the suspected outbreak. WHO’s Africa Regional Office continues to list the event as a “suspected viral haemorrhagic fever outbreak” without reference to casualties, indicating that laboratory confirmation and case investigations are still ongoing.
In a statement posted on social media, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that the organisation was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with Ethiopian health authorities to identify the source and contain any possible transmission.
WHO said it has deployed an initial team of 11 technical officers to reinforce the country’s capacity in critical areas such as disease surveillance, epidemiological investigation, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, clinical case management, outbreak response coordination, and community engagement.
To strengthen on-ground operations, WHO is supplying essential items, including personal protective equipment for health workers, infection-prevention materials, and a rapidly deployable isolation tent designed to increase Ethiopia’s clinical management and treatment capacity. The organisation has also activated its Contingency Fund for Emergencies, releasing 300,000 United States dollars to provide immediate financial support for response activities.
WHO stated that additional technical capacity was being mobilised to backstop the response and ensure that all possible measures were in place to determine the origin and mode of transmission of the suspected cases.
Viral haemorrhagic fevers refer to a group of epidemic-prone diseases caused by several distinct families of viruses. The most well-known among these include Marburg virus disease, Ebola virus disease, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, and Lassa fever. These diseases are characterised by the sudden onset of high fever, fatigue, dizziness, and muscle aches, followed by varying degrees of bleeding, shock, or organ failure in severe cases.
Health authorities have urged immediate notification of any suspected or clustered cases of acute viral haemorrhagic fever, even before the exact pathogen is identified, in order to prevent potential spread and to initiate early containment measures.
As laboratory investigations continue, officials emphasised that maintaining strict infection prevention and control measures remains vital to safeguard frontline health workers and the surrounding communities until the cause of the outbreak is confirmed.
Public health experts note that the implications of a confirmed viral haemorrhagic fever outbreak in southern Ethiopia could be significant. The region’s proximity to porous borders with Kenya, South Sudan and Somalia, and its dependence on cross-border trade, livestock movement and seasonal migration, heighten the risk of transnational spread before detection systems are fully engaged. While Ethiopia’s health infrastructure has expanded, it continues to face constraints in laboratory capacity, workforce density, and infection control resources—factors that could complicate early containment. Past outbreaks in the Horn of Africa have demonstrated how delays in diagnosis or shortages of protective equipment can quickly amplify transmission, particularly in health facilities.
If the suspected cases prove to involve a person-to-person transmissible virus such as Ebola or Marburg, rapid isolation, exhaustive contact tracing, and transparent community communication will be essential. Even if the cause is a tick-borne or rodent-borne virus like Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever or Lassa fever, ecological and occupational exposure routes will demand coordinated vector control and public awareness efforts.
Authorities and humanitarian partners therefore face a dual challenge: containing a potential epidemic while maintaining trust and continuity of essential health services in affected areas.
– global bihari bureau
