WHO: 'Isolate Marburg cases'
2005-04-12 15:13
Geneva - Suspected cases of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in Angola must be detected and isolated sooner if the disease is to be brought under control, the UN health agency said on Tuesday.
The rare Marburg virus has already killed 194 people of the 214 people infected, said World Health Organization spokeswoman Fadela Chaib.
'As serious as Ebola
"This illness is very serious, as serious as Ebola," Chaib told reporters.
Like Ebola, which also has hit Africa, Marburg is a haemorrhagic fever. It spreads through contact with bodily fluids and can kill rapidly. There is no vaccine.
Authorities are trying to improve public understanding of the disease, stressing that all contact with people infected with Marburg and with their bodily fluids should be avoided.
People should also avoid touching the bodies of those who have died from Marburg, WHO has warned.
90% of deaths in northern Angola
Angola's northern Uige province remains at the center of the outbreak, accounting for more than 90% of the cases and deaths.
Residents are now reporting more suspected cases and deaths, WHO said.
The health agency is following up about 360 possible contacts in Uige, but more improvements are needed for the disease to be brought fully under control, WHO said.
"WHO is concerned that deaths are continuing to occur within the community, as care of patients by family members without adequate protective equipment greatly increases the risk of further transmission," the health agency said in a statement.
"Staff at Uige's large provincial hospital also need training and equipment to reduce the risk that routine surgical and laboratory procedures might endanger staff and other patients," WHO said.
- AP