WHO Epi Report

Bob Sims · medicine forum addict Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 98

Marburg haemorrhagic fever in Angola - update 20

27 May 2005

As of 26 May, the Ministry of Health in Angola has reported 399 cases
of
Marburg haemorrhagic fever. Of these cases, 335 were fatal. The vast
majority of cases have occurred in Uige Province, where 388 cases and
324 deaths have been reported.

Yesterday, four new suspected cases, of which three were fatal, were
reported in Bungo municipality, in Uige Province. Two of these cases
have been laboratory confirmed. These are the first cases in this
municipality detected since early April. An urgent investigation has
been launched to determine whether the Bungo cases can be linked to
Uige
municipality, where transmission is known to be ongoing. Another focus
of transmission would be a disturbing development for outbreak control.

In Uige municipality, procedures for contact tracing are now operating
with greater efficiency. This week, staff from the mobile surveillance
teams were able to visit and look for signs of illness in more than
half
of the 100 persons known to have had close contact with a Marburg
patient. New cases are, however, continuing to occur with no known link
to a previous case, suggesting that the surveillance system has not yet
reached the efficiency needed to interrupt chains of transmission.

Local and international staff have continued to identify cultural
practices that create opportunities for exposure to the virus and thus
allow the outbreak to continue. Most recently, around 200 traditional
healers have been trained in ways to reduce risks to themselves and
their clients and given masks and gloves. To date, at least two
traditional healers have died of Marburg haemorrhagic fever.

Intensive educational campaigns, supported by local religious leaders
and Red Cross volunteers, about the hazards of home treatment using
injections have resulted in the collection and safe disposal of large
numbers of syringes. It is not certain, however, that this practice,
which is a highly efficient way to spread the virus, has been fully
eliminated in Uige's population.

Cholera in Senegal- update 5

27 May 2005

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