Tanzania is updating its treatment guidelines for Ebola and Marburg diseases as health authorities move to strengthen the country’s ability to detect, treat and contain potentially deadly outbreaks.
The revised guidelines will set out how health workers should manage suspected cases and protect themselves from infection while caring for patients, according to the Ministry of Health.
The move is aimed at ensuring patients receive timely and appropriate treatment while limiting the risk of disease transmission inside health facilities, where healthcare workers can face heightened exposure during outbreaks.
The guidelines are being reviewed by health experts from the Ministry of Health, the President’s Office–Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), national and zonal referral hospitals and primary healthcare facilities.
The process is being undertaken in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Speaking in Morogoro on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, Dr Rodenta Bahegwa, a Quality Improvement and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Officer at the Ministry of Health, said the involvement of health professionals from different levels was intended to ensure the guidelines respond to conditions faced by frontline workers.
She said the guidelines would provide practical instructions for managing patients who present with symptoms of Ebola, Marburg or other outbreak-prone diseases.
“This guideline focuses on two key areas: treatment and infection prevention and control interventions for healthcare workers,” Dr Bahegwa said.
“The aim is to ensure that if an outbreak occurs in the country, we can provide quality care to patients while at the same time ensuring that healthcare workers remain safe.”
The review incorporates Tanzania’s National Standard Treatment Guidelines as well as recommendations from WHO, she said.
This will help standardise the management of suspected cases and guide health workers on appropriate treatment and infection-control measures.
Dr Bahegwa said the IPC component was particularly important because health workers must follow strict precautions when attending to patients suspected of having Ebola or Marburg.
The measures are intended to reduce the possibility of transmission between patients, health workers and others within healthcare facilities.
The review comes as Tanzania seeks to strengthen its preparedness for infectious disease outbreaks by ensuring that health facilities have clear procedures for managing suspected cases before transmission can escalate.
The updated guidelines are expected to serve as a reference for health workers across different levels of care, from primary facilities to referral hospitals.