Deadly new 'nosebleed' disease similar to Ebola has doctors baffled

Three people have died from 13 cases so far of a worrying new "nosebleed" illness that appears to be viral hemorrhagic fever but leaves doctors mystified

Experts are investigating a new “nosebleed” disease (

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Three people have died as experts investigate a worrying 'nosebleed' condition that has so far mystified doctors.

There have been 13 cases of an illness characterized by severe nosebleeds along with fever, headache and fatigue, in southern Tanzania.

A viral hemorrhagic fever appears to be the cause of the symptoms, where the walls of small blood vessels are damaged.

The patients, however, tested negative for Ebola and Marburg, two haemorrhagic viruses known in the region, Aifello Sichalwe, the Tanzanian government's chief medical officer, reportedly said.

And the World Health Organization has identified four viruses like this - Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Lassa fever, Marburg and Ebola - as "priority pathogens, with the potential to cause pandemics".

The new disease would be viral hemorrhagic fever (

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Dr. Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, initially wondered how seriously the outbreak should be taken by health officials.

But later she tweeted, "I would like to state publicly that I am totally and unequivocally opposed to unexplained viral hemorrhagic fevers."

Marburg was first detected in Ghana last week, only the second time it has been found in West Africa. The deaths of two patients prompted a scramble to identify potential contacts and stop any further spread.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has suggested the new disease may be due to the "increasing interaction" between humans and wildlife caused by environmental degradation, the report reports.