Six people, including two health workers who were "providing care" to people infected with an unknown disease in Jinka town, Southern Ethiopia, have died.

It has also been reported that "rapid renal failure" has been observed in patients who have shown symptoms of the disease.

The Ministry of Health and the Ethiopian Public Health Institute announced the occurrence of a "hemorrhagic fever, the nature of which is being verified" in Jinka city in a joint statement issued yesterday, Wednesday, November 12, 2025.

The statement said that the outbreak was "survey data" and that eight people had "been diagnosed with the disease."

The first person to be diagnosed with "hemorrhagic fever" came to Jinka General Hospital "about three weeks ago," the medical facility's representative medical director, Dr. Salamu Tadesse, told the BBC.

According to the acting medical director, the patient's condition reached a "critical" level after he arrived at the hospital, and he subsequently died after staying in the hospital for "about a day."

A week after the incident, people who had contact with the person showed similar symptoms and sought treatment.

The World Health Organization describes the disease, known as 'viral haemorrhagic fevers', as "a growing global threat."