'No Marburg in SA'

2005-04-08 14:37

Johannesburg - There were no confirmed cases of the Marburg virus in South Africa, according to the national department of health, SABC reported on Friday.

The department reacted to speculation in the media that a girl "with Angolan ties" was in a Johannesburg hospital with signs of the virus, which has so far claimed the lives of 159 people in Angola.

Solly Mabotha, spokesperson for the department, said the department received information about the girl, who was admitted to hospital with a fever, from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) on Thursday.

However, she displayed no symptoms of the Marburg virus, he said.

Mabotha confirmed a man had died in the Eastern Cape last week after returning from Angola, where he had been working.

He said a post-mortem had been performed and samples sent overseas for testing.

The department was waiting for the results, he said.

South Africa has no facilities to test for the virus.

He said until a case of Marburg had been confirmed, it was premature for anyone to draw the conclusion that the virus had spread to South Africa.

The World Health Organisation suggested on Thursday that Angola's neighbouring countries go on high alert for the highly contagious disease.

These countries include Namibia, Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa) and the Republic of Congo (Brazzaville).

- News24