Domitina Kahira, a resident of Biharamulo District in Tanzania’s north-eastern Kagera Region, is treading a difficult path to recovery after losing her husband to Marburg virus disease in early January 2025.

Being a close contact of a person infected with the virus, she was admitted to a Marburg isolation centre for 21 days to monitor her health and avoid further possible transmission at home. Kahira was discharged and reunited with her family. But the grief from her husband’s death and the adjustment to life in the aftermath has taken a toll on her mental health.

“I was worried about my pregnancy, my children at home and our future,” she says of her time in the isolation centre. “How was I going to look after them on my own? How was the community going to receive me? A lot was going on in my head.”

Mental health challenges are exacerbated during health emergencies, with recovered patients, community members and health workers facing vulnerabilities. To help with these mental health challenges, a World Health Organization (WHO) expert, working with a psychiatrist, Ministry of Health social welfare officers and UNICEF, has been providing counselling and psychosocial support to around 280 people, including Kahira, who were discharged from isolation and treatment centres. Another 110 health workers, community members and others affected by the outbreak have also received similar services.