Tanzania has announced the end of its first Marburg virus outbreak, which killed six people out of nine cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The outbreak of the deadly haemorrhagic fever, which is related to Ebola and can cause severe bleeding and organ failure, began in the Kagera region in north-west Tanzania more than two months ago.

The last confirmed case tested negative on April 19, and after 42 days with no new infections, the WHO declared the outbreak over.

The Marburg virus is spread by fruit bats and can be transmitted among humans through contact with infected fluids, surfaces and materials.

There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the virus, which has a fatality rate of up to 88 per cent.