New cases of Marburg reported
2005-05-12 23:23
Lisbon - The number of cases from an outbreak of the rare Marburg virus in the northern province of Uige, Angola, has climbed to 316, said the World Health Organisation.
The WHO said on its website of these, 276 were fatal.
The new cases were identified in the last few days in Uige, the epicentre of the outbreak.
It said: "As some chains of transmission are still ongoing, mobile teams are investigating suspect cases and following contacts."
Last week, the WHO reported 308 cases in the Angola outbreak.
There is no vaccine for Marburg, a haemorrhagic fever that spreads through contact with bodily fluids and can kill rapidly.
The incubation period for the virus could be 21 days.
The WHO did not consider outbreaks to be contained until there have been no new infections for a period lasting double the maximum incubation time.
- AP