DAR ES SALAAM - Eight people have been killed in a suspected outbreak of Marburg virus disease in Tanzania's northwestern region of Kagera, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

In a statement Tuesday, the WHO warned that the risk of further spread of the deadly disease in the country and the region is high.

The Tanzanian government has not yet commented on the WHO statement.

The United Nations health agency said it had informed its member states on Monday of an outbreak of suspected Marburg virus disease in Tanzania's Kagera Region.

"We are aware of nine cases so far, including eight people who have died. We would expect further cases in coming days as disease surveillance improves," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on social media.

"WHO has offered its full assistance to the government of Tanzania and to affected communities," he added.

In March 2023, Tanzanian health authorities announced that an outbreak of Marburg viral disease that had killed five people in the Kagera Region was under control.

According to the WHO, the highly fatal, zoonotic hemorrhagic disease is caused by the Marburg virus, and human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with body fluids from infected persons or contact with equipment and other materials contaminated with infectious blood or tissues, body fluids of infected people, and contaminated surfaces or materials.