Ignore TikTok video claiming Marburg outbreak in Uganda and possible lockdown
IN SHORT: A video that has been making the rounds since December 2024 claims Uganda's health minister has announced an outbreak of the Marburg virus. But the video is from 2017. It is not from December 2024, as implied on social media.
A video has been posted on TikTok showing Uganda's health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng addressing the press about a Marburg virus outbreak.
It is captioned: "The rumoured Marburg virus outbreak in Uganda & a possible lockdown in the long run."
She says:
I would like to inform the general public that the number of cumulative cases currently stands at two; one confirmed and one probable case. Two health workers who treated the confirmed case in Kapchorwa hospital developed Marburg-like symptoms, and blood samples were taken and sent to the Uganda Virus Research Institute for testing. Meanwhile, the health workers were isolated and were being monitored. Today morning, we received the results of one of the health workers and it is negative. We still await the results of the second health worker.
The video has been doing the rounds since December 2024. It has received over 746,000 views, 3,900 comments, 32,000 likes, and 7,900 shares.
The context
The Marburg virus is a highly contagious disease in the same family as Ebola. It is rare and is initially transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals, such as fruit bats. Once in humans, it spreads from person to person through contact with bodily fluids such as blood, urine, sweat or saliva.
The disease has a high mortality rate. There is no specific cure, but people can recover with supportive care.
Uganda has experienced several outbreaks of Marburg in the past, including one in 2017. In that outbreak, the first case was detected in a man from eastern Uganda. Two of his family members and a health worker were also infected.
The government and health authorities took swift action, including isolating suspected cases and monitoring contacts, and the virus was contained.
The most recent outbreaks in East Africa were reported in Rwanda in September 2024 and Tanzania in January 2025. The outbreak in Rwanda resulted in 66 confirmed cases and 15 deaths. It was contained by December 2024. The outbreak in Tanzania was announced on 20 January 2025, and efforts are underway to contain it.
But is the TikTok video true, claiming that there was an outbreak in December 2024 in Uganda? We checked.
Video shows the 2017 incident
A keyword search for the Marburg virus, along with the words spoken by Aceng in the video, reveals that the footage is from 2017. In October of that year, Aceng addressed the Marburg virus outbreak.
She said there were two cases, one confirmed and one probable. She also said that one of the health workers who treated the infected patient was awaiting test results at the time. It was also reported that 155 contacts were being monitored.
The video in question uses the exact same press briefing from the 2017 Marburg virus outbreak in Uganda. It is not a 2024 incident. There is no evidence of a current outbreak of Marburg virus in Uganda.
If this claim were true, it would have been confirmed by the government and health authorities and widely reported by credible media sources. This has not happened.
In January 2025, Uganda ruled out imposing new lockdown measures despite global health concerns. It stressed its confidence in its health system.
The TikTok video claiming to show a recent Marburg outbreak is misleading, and claiming a possible lockdown in Uganda is false.