• FluTrackers.com Inc. does not provide medical advice. Information on this web site is collected from various internet resources, and the FluTrackers board of directors makes no warranty to the safety, efficacy, correctness or completeness of the information posted on this site by any author or poster. The information collated here is for instructional and/or discussion purposes only and is NOT intended to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or other medical condition. Every individual reader or poster should seek advice from their personal physician/healthcare practitioner before considering or using any interventions that are discussed on this website. By continuing to access this website you agree to consult your personal physican before using any interventions posted on this website, and you agree to hold harmless FluTrackers.com Inc., the board of directors, the members, and all authors and posters for any effects from use of any medication, supplement, vitamin or other substance, device, intervention, etc. mentioned in posts on this website, or other internet venues referenced in posts on this website.
  • We are not asking for any donations. Do not donate to any entity who says they are raising funds for us.

Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 9 deaths reported

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Emergency Message

Message for U.S. Citizens
October 22, 2012
Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever Update

On October 20, 2012, the Uganda Ministry of Health announced an outbreak of Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever in Kabale District that has resulted in five deaths. Laboratory investigations confirmed Marburg in three cases. The Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and international partners are investigating the cases to determine the extent of the outbreak and if additional cases are present.

Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever is a rare, severe type of hemorrhagic fever that affects both humans and non-human primates. A person suffering from Marburg presents with sudden onset of high fever with headache, chills and body aches. Around the fifth day after the onset of symptoms, a rash (most prominent on the chest, back, or stomach) may occur. Nausea, vomiting, chest pain, a sore throat, abdominal pain, and diarrhea then may appear. Symptoms become increasingly severe and may include jaundice, inflammation of the pancreas, weight loss, delirium, shock, liver failure, massive hemorrhaging, and multi-organ dysfunction. Marburg disease may be spread through direct contact with body fluids like saliva, urine or blood of an infected person or the body of someone who has died from the disease. Since the virus spreads through direct contact with blood and other body secretions of an infected person, people living with and caring for Marburg patients are at a high risk of getting infected.

The U.S. Embassy has advised that all embassy members residing and traveling in southwest Uganda avoid contact with individuals exhibiting the symptoms described above until further information becomes available, and strongly recommend that private citizens do likewise. To minimize the risk of contracting Marburg, avoid direct contact with body fluids by wearing protective materials like gloves, masks, and gowns. The CDC also recommends avoiding exposure to primates, fruit bats, and areas where fruit bats reside (caves, roosts and abandoned buildings). For more information on Marburg hemorrhagic fever, please visit the CDC website,
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/marburg/qa.htm.

U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad are encouraged to enroll in the Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive the latest travel updates and information, and to obtain updated information on travel and security issues. U.S. citizens without Internet access may register directly with the U.S. Embassy. By enrolling, U.S. citizens make it easier for the U.S. Embassy to contact them in case of emergency.

The U.S. Embassy is located at Plot 1577 Ggaba Road. Contact information for the U.S. Embassy in Kampala is: phone number (256) (0) (414) 306 001 or (256) (0) (414) 259 791, fax (256) (0) (414) 258 451, email KampalaUSCitizen@state.gov.

For the latest security information, U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs website where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, Travel Warnings, and Country Specific Information can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the United States and Canada or, for callers from other countries, a regular toll line at 1-202-502-4444. These numbers are available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).:tiphat:http://kampala.usembassy.gov/em_10232012.html
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

22 Oct 2012
Marburg haemorrhagic fever breaks out in Uganda

Radio report
To find out more about the outbreak in Uganda, UN Radio's Derrick Mbatha spoke on the line to the Ugandan capital Kampala with Dr. Joaquim Saweka, the WHO Representative in the country.
Duration: 4'57":tiphat:http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/2012/10/marburg-haemorrhagic-fever-breaks-out-in-uganda/
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

UGANDA: A brief history of haemorrhagic fever

Photo: Dr. Tom Geisbert/CDC
The Marburg virus is from the same family as Ebola
NAIROBI, 23 October 2012 (IRIN) - Uganda's Ministry of Health is calling for calm as it tries to trace members of the public who may have had contact with people who have died from or been infected by an outbreak of the Marburg virus in south-western Uganda.

Marburg - a viral haemorrhagic fever from the same family as Ebola - causes severe headaches and malaise, followed by bleeding from multiple sites. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the fatality rate for Marburg is between 23 and 90 percent. The virus, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment, is transmitted by direct contact with the blood, body fluids or tissues of infected people.

According to the UN World Health Organization, as of 21 October, nine cases and five deaths had been reported in the south-western district of Kabale. By 22 October, at least one case - a woman from Kabale - had been reported at Mulago Hospital in the capital, Kampala.

The Marburg outbreak comes hot on the heels of a July Ebola outbreak in western Uganda. IRIN has put together a brief history of Ebola and Marburg occurrences in the country:

1967 - Thirty-one laboratory workers in Germany and Yugoslavia handling African green monkeys from Uganda became infected with the Marburg virus; seven of the infected died.

2000 - An outbreak of the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus in northern and western Uganda affected more than 400 people and killed more than 220. According to the CDC, some of the major risk factors for acquiring the virus included: attending funerals of Ebola patients, providing medical care to patients without proper protective measures, and having contact with infected family members.

2007 - Four workers became infected with the Marburg virus in a lead and gold mine in western Uganda's Kamwenge District; two of them died.

2007/2008 - The first reported outbreak of the newly identified Bundibugyo strain of Ebola - named for a western Ugandan district - infected 131 people and killed 42.

2008 - A US traveller who explored a cave in western Uganda's Maramagambo Forest was diagnosed with Marburg upon returning to the US, but made a full recovery. Another traveller, this time from the Netherlands, also visited a cave in Maramagambo the same year, and was diagnosed with Marburg when she returned home; she died from the virus. It is believed they may have been exposed to the disease by bats, which host both the Marburg and Ebola virus.

2011 - In May, one person died of the Sudan strain of Ebola in the central district of Luwero.

2012 - In July, an outbreak of the same Ebola strain in the western district of Kibaale infected 24 people, killing 17. The country was declared Ebola-free on 4 October.

2012 - In October, the Marburg virus killed at least five people in the southwestern district of Kabale. :tiphat:http://www.irinnews.org/Report/96618/UGANDA-A-brief-history-of-haemorrhagic-fever
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Health ministry seeks Shs1.8b to fight outbreak of Marburg



Posted Wednesday, October 24 2012 at 01:00
IN SUMMARY

The money if approved will be used to purchase drug supplies, protective gear, pay allowances for health workers and handle emergencies that may accrue from the outbreak. KAMPALA/KABALE

The Ministry of Health yesterday announced an emergency plan to fight Marburg in Kabale District. At least six people have died from the Marburg virus while at least 100 others are under surveillance, according to the Ministry of Health.

Ms Rukia Nakamatte, the ministry spokesperson, said a Shs1.8 billion supplementary budget was being sought to contain the disease. She said the money, if approved, will be used to purchase drug supplies, protective gear, allowances for health workers, as well as handle other emergencies that may accrue during the outbreak.

Meanwhile, health officials in Kabale have confirmed that a mortuary attendant, Jarson Tumukunde, who died early this month, succumbed to the Marburg fever. This is after four of his close family members developed signs of the virus this week.

Tumukunde 28, died on October 8 after having handled bodies of the first two victims who died late last month.

Late Tumukunde?s wife, mother and a sister were admitted at Rushoroza Health Centre III isolation centre yesterday. ?The number of cases admitted at Rushoroza Health Centre III isolation centre is now seven and a total of 123 people that got in contact with the deceased persons are being closely monitored,? Dr Patrick Tusiime, a district official, said.

He added: ?The situation is becoming complicated every day because I have been told that a security guard at one of the petrol stations in Kabale Town is hiding somewhere with signs similar to the virus. A new case has been reported in Bukora Village in Kitumba Sub-county. The surveillance team has been dispatched.?

Dr Tusiime said a team of health workers from Gulu, Bundibugyo and Kagadi hospitals has joined experts from World Health Organisation, UPDF and Ministry of Health, who have been on the ground since last week, to fight the virus.

In a related case, Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) has advised tourists to take precaution as they visit national parks in the wake of the outbreak of Marburg in the country. UWA?s acting executive director Andrew Seguya told Daily Monitor yesterday that a task force has been set up to sensitise the public on precautionary measures. :tiphat:http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/Natio...arburg/-/688334/1593590/-/lgngyc/-/index.html
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Marburg: 132 now being monitored
Oct 24, 2012

Two more people have been admitted to an isolation centre at Rushoroza Health Centre III in Kabale district with signs of the deadly marburg fever. This brings the number of suspected cases to seven.

The number of people being monitored by World Health Organisation and the Ministry of Health has also risen from 34 to 132.

Dr. Patrick Tusiime, the Kabale district director of health services, yesterday said the number of suspected cases was rising.

At least two people are confirmed to have contracted the marburg virus since it was first reported in the Kabale district this month.

According to the health ministry, marburg has so far claimed one person, although at least five people have died after showing symptoms linked to the deadly virus.

The ministry spokesperson, Rukia Nakamatte, Tuesday said the samples of the suspected cases were taken to the Uganda Virus Research Institute laboratory in Entebbe for testing.

The two new cases reported on Monday are an 18-year-old female student from Kabale Secondary School, who was admitted at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital.

Her brother, a mortuary attendant at the hospital, died last week shortly after preparing the body of the first suspected marburg victim.

Another suspected case is the 54-year-old mother to the deceased, who developed severe abdominal pain, vomiting, chest pain and profuse sweating.

The first suspected case of marburg fever was reported two weeks ago after a family of five died from a mysterious disease.

The survivor, Obed Ntegyereize, fled Kiyonjo Parish in Kitumba sub-county in Kabale district to Rukungiri district, suspecting his relatives had been bewitched.

Ntegyereize, who tested positive for the virus, is being treated at Rushoroza Health Centre III.

The district leaders have temporarily banned public gatherings as a measure to stop further spread of the marburg virus.

Meanwhile, Sharon Twinomujuni, the woman who tested positive for Marburg and is a relative of the five people who died, is steadily improving. She is isolated at Mulago Hospital.

Appearing before the public accounts committee of Parliament yesterday, the permanent secretary in the health ministry, Dr Asuman Lukwago said the outbreak was under control:tiphat:http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/636728-marburg-132-now-being-monitored.html
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Marburg Virus: UWA warns tourists

October 24 2012 at 18:15


The Uganda Wildlife Authority has issued a warning to tourists visiting national parks, especially those that are habitants for primates, to take precaution following an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the country.

The authority?s acting executive director, Dr Andrew Seguya, told Daily Monitor on Tuesday that a multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary National Taskforce has been put in place to, among other actions, mobilise and sensitise the public on precautionary measures like including wearing protective gowns, gloves and masks, and not to use skin piercing equipment used by Marburg infected persons.
He added that there have not been any cases of trip cancellation so far. He, however, added that some tourists might cancel trips if the disease is not contained.
The Ministry of Health last week declared an outbreak of the Marburg virus in Kabale district, with five people confirmed to have died of the disease.
Four more people are admitted at Rushoroza Health centre III while another 40 people are under surveillance.

The Marburg virus disease is reported to be transmitted through bodily fluids such as saliva and blood of an infected person, along with getting in touch with infected wild animals such as monkeys.
Mr Cuthbert Baguma, the executive director of the Uganda Tourism Board says there is no need to panic despite the fact that one of the cases occurred in a tourism attraction area.
Kabale district is on the way to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park. Other attractions in the area include Ihimba Hot Springs and Lake Bunyonyi.

Mr Baguma further said that UTB together with other industry players is conducting an impact assessment to determine the effect it has had on tourism.
Hopes for a successful year were dampened in the tourism sector recently after tourists reportedly cancelled trips following an Ebola outbreak in Kibaale National Park. :tiphat:http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/Natio...urists/-/688334/1594174/-/xgiiwa/-/index.html
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Source: http://www.voanews.com/content/uganda-faces-fresh-outbreak-of-hemorrhagic-fever/1532463.html

Uganda Faces Fresh Outbreak of Hemorrhagic Fever
October 24, 2012

KAMPALA ?
Uganda is struggling to contain the spread of the deadly Marburg virus, just weeks after an outbreak of Ebola killed at least 16 people.

Last week, health officials declared an outbreak of the rare and deadly Marburg virus, a type of hemorrhagic fever similar to Ebola. Five people have died so far, six have been placed in isolation and over 150 more are being monitored for symptoms. One of the cases is being treated in the capital, Kampala...
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Marburg Virus claims another victim; death toll at 6Publish Date: Oct 25, 2012
.

By Vision Reporters

One of the two people, who were admitted on Monday with signs of the deadly marburg fever, has died.

Edward Turyamureba, a 38-year-old resident of Kicumbi Cell, Kamuganguzi sub-county, succumbed to severe bleeding and vomiting on Tuesday evening.

He is the sixth person suspected to have died from the disease since it was reported earlier this month. He was laid to rest at a brief funeral yesterday.
...
http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/636762-marburg-virus-claims-another-victim-death-toll-at-6.html
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Marburg: Kampala safe, no travel restrictions
Publish Date: Oct 25, 2012


By Taddeo Bwambale

Despite having one person admitted at Mulago Hospital with Marburg Haemorrhagic fever, health minister, Dr Christine Ondoa has assured Ugandans that the city is safe from the deadly virus. :rolleyes:

The World Health Organisation has also said it will not recommend travel restrictions within or outside the country at the moment, since the epidemic is under control.

A team of health experts from the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) arrives in the country next week to carry out a study on wild animals in districts where suspected cases of the Marburg virus has been reported.

Addressing journalists at the media centre Thursday, Ondoa said the CDC team would help to confirm the cause of the outbreak which was confirmed this month.

She warned that communities living near forest areas in western Uganda were susceptible to infection from the Marburg virus since they often come into contact with wild animals.

The last Marburg outbreak in Uganda was reported in October 2007 in Kamwenge district, and studies linked the virus to bats and wild game in Imaramagambo forest.

Marburg fever is caused by a virus that easily spreads through direct contact with wounds, body fluids like blood, saliva, vomitus, stool and urine of an infected person.

A person suffering from Marburg presents symptoms such as high fever, vomiting blood, joint and muscle pains and bleeding through the body openings like eyes, nose, gums, ears, anus and the skin.

Ondoa confirmed that four of the six suspected cases had from suspected Marburg fever, while 196 people are under surveillance for possible contact with the infected in Kabale, Rukungiri, Ibanda and Kampala.

One of the two confirmed Marburg victims is admitted at Mulago Hospital and in stable condition while another person is recovering at Rushoroza Health Centre III in Kabale district.

Dr Joachim Saweka, the WHO country representative said Uganda had one of the best surveillance teams in the region, but decried Government?s slow commitment to funding such interventions.

The health ministry urgently needs sh2.3b to stem the epidemic, of which sh1.7b will be used to for surveillance, research and procurement of protective gear while sh650m is to be spent in the affected districts.:tiphat:http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/636785-marburg-kampala-safe-no-travel-restrictions.html
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

PRESS STATEMENT ON THE UPDATE ON THE MARBURG OUTBREAK


October 25th 2012

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
P. O. BOX 7272,
KAMPALA - UGANDA
PRESS STATEMENT ON THE UPDATE OF MARBURG OUTBREAK

The Ministry of Health declared an outbreak of Marburg in Kabale district on October 19th 2012 after receiving laboratory results from the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) confirming that two family members had died of the highly infectious viral hemorrhagic fever. Three other members of the same family had earlier died of a strange disease in a period of one month.
The death of these people prompted the District Health Office to undertake further investigations of this strange disease that had ravaged Kitumba parish in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale district.
According to the reports, the patients presented with symptoms of diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, headache, dizziness and generalized convulsions. Initial samples of blood and cerebral spiral fluid taken from the sick people ruled out Malaria and Meningitis. The family then invited a cult leader, a retired Reverend from Rukungiri, district to visit their household and pray for the sick.
The index case is believed to have been a member of a family in Rwabirondo village, Kitumba parish in Kitumba sub-county which occurred on 20th September 2012. After the death of the index case, two other people, a sister and mother reportedly got sick and died.
This outbreak comes barely two weeks after the Ministry declared an end to another viral Hemorrhagic Fever (Ebola) on October 4th 2012. The last Marburg outbreak was witnessed in October 2007in Kamwenge district.
Marburg is a highly infectious viral hemorrhagic fever which kills in a short time but can be prevented. Marburg is spread through direct contact with, body fluids like blood, saliva, vomitus, stool and urine of an infected person.
A person suffering from Marburg presents with sudden onset of high fever with any of the following; headache, vomiting blood, joint and muscle pains and bleeding through the body openings, i.e. eyes (red eyes), nose, gums, ears, anus and the skin.
How is Marburg Spread?
It is spread through;
• Direct contact with wounds, body fluids like blood, saliva, vomitus, droplets, stool and urine of a person suffering from Marburg.
• Unsterilised injections, contaminated linen, beddings and clothes.
• Using skin piercing instruments that have been used by an infected person.
• Direct physical handling of persons who have died of Marburg

Current Status (Update)
The Ministry of Health has developed a response plan and budget for the Marburg control amounting to sh2.3b of which sh1.75 is for central level activities including Ministry of Health, six general hospitals and Kampala Capital City Authority. This will be majorly for case management, surveillance, research and social mobilisation and procurement of protective gears. The district budget totals 651,047,576 and it covers case management, surveillance, research and social mobilisation.

• Out of the six people who have died so far, only three were confirmed positive for Marburg.

• Currently, there is only one confirmed case admitted in our isolation facility at Mulago National Referral Hospital. One convalescent case is detained at Rushoroza Health Center III while five suspect cases linked to the initial cases are admitted there awaiting blood results. Special teams of doctors and nurses have been assigned to attend to the patients in both the isolation facilities. The patient admitted at Mulago National Referral Hospital is from Kitumba sub-county and is a relative of the index case.

• The Ministry of Health surveillance team has listed up a total of 196 contacts for close monitoring. These contacts are mainly in Kabale, Rukungiri and Ibanda districts while 29 are from Kampala. Those being monitored reportedly got into contact with either the dead or confirmed cases. The team continues to monitor them on a daily basis for possible signs and symptoms of this highly infectious disease until they have completed 10 days without showing any signs and symptoms.

• A team of experts from the Ministry of Health, U.S Center for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization have so far collected a total of 18 n samples from suspected cases for further investigations. The samples are being analyzed at the Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe.

• The Ministry is conducting an orientation of local healthcare workers in Kabale Regional Referral Hospital and in the other peripheral health facilities on infection prevention and control, barrier nursing, surveillance and clinical case management. This is being done to build health workers’ capacity to handle such cases.

• In Rushoroza Health Centre, a burial committee has been set up to manage burials of people suspected to have died of Marburg. The committee has been oriented on burial procedures and infection prevention and control. This is one of the control measures to curb the spread of the highly contiguous disease. The committee has so far supervised two burials.
• A team from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is expected in the country to undertake anthropological studies.
The Ministry of Health once again urges the public to take the following measures to avert the spread of the disease.
• Report immediately any suspected patient to a nearby health unit
• Avoid direct contact with body fluids of a person suspected to be suffering from Marburg by using protective materials like gloves and masks
• Persons who have died of Marburg must be handled with strong protective wear and buried immediately
• Avoid eating dead animals
• Avoid unnecessary public gathering especially in the affected district
• Burial of suspicious community deaths should be done under close supervision of well trained burial teams
• Report all suspicious deaths to a nearby health facility

Once again the Ministry of Health calls upon the public to stay calm as all possible measures are being undertaken to control the situation.

Hon. Dr. Christine Ondoa
Minister of Health :tiphat:http://www.mediacentre.go.ug/details.php?catId=3&item=1875
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Uganda: Conservationists Call for Ugandans to Stop Eating Chimps
BY HENRY WASSWA,
25 OCTOBER 2012

Albertine Rift Region ? Conservationists struggling to protect the remaining population of Ugandan chimpanzees have raised concerns that people around wildlife reserves in the west of the country have taken to eating the primates.

"There is now an issue of eating bush meat. We did not think Ugandans were eating primate meat but we are starting to observe that monkeys and chimps are being eaten. This is scary. The threat to their survival has been growing bigger," according to Lily Ajarova who runs the Ngamba Chimpanzee Sanctuary, located on an island of the same name in Lake Victoria in the Albertine Rift region.

The sanctuary, which houses 48 primates rescued from human captivity, was set up with the help of the Jane Goodall Institute and is managed by the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Decades ago, tens of thousands of chimpanzees roamed the thick tropical forests that then covered a vast tract of land in Uganda's Albertine Rift region. The area covers the western arm of the Great East African Rift Valley from north-western Uganda to the extreme southwest, along the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

But according to the World Wildlife Fund, chimpanzees have already disappeared from four African countries, and are nearing extinction in many others largely due to deforestation and the hunting of the primates for bushmeat. Currently there are only an estimated 5,000 chimpanzees in Uganda, conservation officials say.

Most of the remaining chimpanzees in this country are protected in six main game and forest reserves in the Albertine Rift region, while others are trapped in forests owned by individuals.

Ajarova told IPS that although her team of conservationists had first noticed people eating primate meat in western Uganda two years ago, those engaging in the practice had mostly been immigrants or refugees from neighbouring DRC. It was rare for locals in this East African nation to eat primate meat, she said.

"There are many other parts of the world where primate meat is eaten but this had not been happening in Uganda. We began witnessing this over time. It has been developing slowly and we ourselves only got wind of it when we were in the field two years ago," she said, adding that it was now "an emerging problem."

The recent arrivals of immigrants from the DRC have created a shift in the population balance of the area and have had an effect on local culture, she said. In July the Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees Musa Ecweru said that Uganda was struggling to feed the large number of Congolese fleeing the fighting in North Kivu Province in neighbouring DRC. There are an estimated 16,000 Congolese refugees in western Uganda.

"There are lots of Congolese refugees in the area and they may have influenced the local people to eat monkeys and chimpanzees," Ajarova said. "This has not been a part of Ugandan culture in the past, but now it is becoming an issue. We have found that the habit is now rife in the whole (western) region. It is rampant in almost all the villages we visit.

"We have from time to time seen villagers carrying carcasses of monkeys and, on occasion, chimps," Ajarova said.

Officials also believe that people have taken to eating primates because the Albertine Rift region is poverty-stricken and people mostly depend on forest resources for survival, as they cannot afford to purchase meat.

"People are desperate, they are poor as this is an underdeveloped region. They mostly depend on forest resources, including game meat, and this may have forced them to resort to eating primate meat," Ajarova said.

Experts are now worried that the new trend could lead to a possible outbreak of Ebola, a haemorrhagic fever that is often fatal, which is believed to be transferred to humans through contact with an infected animal.

"This is a serious problem. Any meat that is eaten has to pass through proper veterinary inspection, even if it is from farms. People eating primate meat run a risk of getting infected with zoonotic diseases, including Ebola," said Andrew Seguya, the executive director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority.

"There is no Ugandan tribe that traditionally eats primate meat, but there are many Congolese refugees in that area and the Congolese may have spread the habit to locals," he said.

"Ebola is spread through direct contact and it's thought that these primates are carriers of the disease and may transmit it to humans through other ways, including faecal matter. There is even a school of thought that AIDS might have been transmitted from primates," Seguya, a veterinary surgeon, told IPS.

The western district of Kibaale, in the Albertine Rift region, was hit by a suspected Ebola epidemic in July. Health officials are yet to confirm that it was an Ebola outbreak. But according to media reports 17 people died.

Meanwhile, Ajarova said efforts are being made to change people's attitudes towards eating primate meat through education programmes and the setting up of animal-rearing projects among villagers.

"We are telling people to stop eating primate meat, informing them that it is dangerous to their health as they will get diseases like Ebola. This is one of the key messages in our education programmes," she said.

"We also use FM radios to pass on conservation messages to the communities. These reach out to large numbers of people at one go," Ajarova said.:tiphat:http://allafrica.com/stories/201210250797.html?viewall=1
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 5th death recorded

The highly-infectious disease has spread to three districts - including the capital, Kampala - after it struck in early October in the south-western Kabale district.
Nearly 200 people believed to have been in contact with the Marburg victims have been placed under surveillance, Health Minister Christine Ondoa told reporters.
She said that 10 per cent of those under surveillance were in Kampala...:tiphat:
http://www.timeslive.co.za/africa/2012/10/25/deadly-marburg-virus-kills-six-in-uganda
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 6th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 6th death recorded

Uganda: Marburg - Kabale Bans All Public Gatherings
BY EDWARD SSEKIKA, 24 OCTOBER 2012

In a bid to avert further spread of the deadly Marburg haemorrhagic fever in Kabale, authorities in the western Ugandan district have banned all public gatherings, including church crusades.

The ban takes immediate effect. Kabale district chairman, Patrick Besigye, told The Observer yesterday that since the virus has no treatment, the most effective way of fighting it is to control its spread.


more...

:tiphat:http://allafrica.com/stories/201210251188.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 6th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 6th death recorded

Marburg Feared In Kampala
Deadly ‘unprecedented’ Marburg virus is likely to hit Kampala city center. The shocking news was unveiled by the Minister of Health, Christine Ondoa at Uganda Media Center.


snip

She said that 29 people including relatives of the affected and health workers are under surveillance here in Kampala while their blood samples taken to Entebbe Research Center for laboratory tests.

snip

Foreign Experts Fly In
A team of health experts from Center for Disease Control (CDC) based in Atlanta USA will jet in to back up the local expertise on bringing the tragedy to an end. :tiphat: http://www.redpepper.co.ug/?p=1094
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 7th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 7th death recorded

Source: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/636819-marburg-death-toll-climbs-to-seven.html

Marburg death toll climbs to sevenPublish Date: Oct 27, 2012
By Goodluck Musinguzi

Another person has died of the Marburg viral disease in the southwestern district of Kabale, bringing the total number of such deaths to seven.

Lydia Rusanyuka died Saturday morning at Rushoroza health center three after spending less than a week under medical care inside the isolation center.

The deadly virus claimed its seventh victim just a little over a week since its outbreak in the district was first reported by health experts...
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 7th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 7th death recorded

http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/Natio...banda/-/688334/1604776/-/jni7ajz/-/index.html

Home News National National

New Marburg case reported in Ibanda

Share Bookmark Print Rating
By Robert Muhereza

Posted Sunday, October 28 2012 at 01:00

The deadly Marburg virus has claimed two more lives, raising the death toll to seven and scaling up the infected areas.

Lydia Rusanyuka, 50, the mother to the former Kabale Regional Referral Hospital mortuary attendant, Mr Jason Tumukunde, succumbed to the disease in less than six hours after she tested positive. Another person was confirmed dead in Ibanda District, medical officials said.

The Kabale District Health Officer, Dr Patrick Tusiime, told this newspaper yesterday that Rusanyuka, a resident of Bukora Village Kitumba Sub-county, died in the isolation centre at Rushoroza Health Centre III shortly after midnight.

?A total of cumulative Marburg virus cases both probable and confirmed in Kabale District is now 14, the cumulative specimens collected so far are 14, the total number of admissions at the isolation centre is seven and the total number of people that got into close contact with the Marburg virus victims is now 198. The situation is becoming complicated,? Dr Tusiime said.

Marburg experts currently in Kabale have released a report indicating that a new Marburg case has been confirmed in Ibanda.

[snip]
 
Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 7th death recorded

Re: Uganda: Marburg virus outbreak in Kitumba sub-county, Kabale; 7th death recorded

http://www.mediacentre.go.ug/details.php?catId=3&item=1882

PRESS STATEMENT ON THE UPDATE OF MARBURG OUTBREAK




PRESS STATEMENT
UPDATE ON THE MARBURG OUTBREAK

October 29th 2012




MINISTRY OF HEALTH
P. O. BOX 7272,
KAMPALA - UGANDA




PRESS STATEMENT ON THE UPDATE OF MARBURG OUTBREAK

Today on behalf of the Ministry of Health, I take this opportunity to welcome you all to this press briefing organized to update you on the outbreak of Marburg in the country. You will recall that we declared an outbreak of this highly infectious disease on October 19th and since then the Ministry of Health and its partners have undertaken a number of interventions to control the spread of the disease.
I wish to inform you that cases are now reported in the neighbouring districts of Ibanda and Mbarara. However, I want to assure you that the Ministry of Health and its partners are on the ground in the mentioned districts to contain the spread and manage the identified cases.
To date, the death toll of both the probable and confirmed cases stands at eight, with the latest being a case that died at the isolation facility at Rushoroza Health Centre III on October 27th (Saturday). The case that was referred from Ibanda Hospital ? Ibanda to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital died on October 24th
I wish to clarify that since the onset of the outbreak, we have collected a total of 45 samples of which nine were confirmed positive; five in Kabale, two in Kampala and two from Ibanda.
Working closely with the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), we have set up a field diagnostic laboratory at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital. All samples from the affected neighbouring districts will hence be taken to this laboratory for quick diagnostics. This will shorten the time when we get results to three hours from the original 24 hours due to distance. Further serological testing will be undertaken at the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI).
Due to the presence of cases in other districts, we have established temporary isolation facilities to accommodate the suspected and confirmed cases. In Ibanda, a temporary isolation ward has been created at Ibanda Hospital, while plans are underway to set up a proper isolation facility by tomorrow.
At Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, a separate temporary has been designated for the suspect Marburg cases. A triage has also been set up at the causality ward.
We have assembled a team of experts to work in the newly established isolation facilities and they are expected in these districts today. We also plan to undertake infection control procedures in these facilities as safety measures for the workers and the admitted patients.
Today, the total number of cases admitted is 12. Eight are currently admitted at Rushoroza Health Center III in Kabale. Two confirmed cases, a couple (husband and wife) still remain admitted at Mulago National Referral Hospital. Another two suspect cases are currently admitted at Mayanja Memorial Hospital in Mbarara.
There are seven suspect cases (student nurses) quarantined at Ibanda. These cases attended to the confirmed case that later died at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital on October 24th. Other health workers who attended to the patient are closely being monitored.
We have line-listed a total of 436 contacts for close observation in four districts of Kabale, Kam-pala, Ibanda, Mbarara, Fort Portal and Rukungiri. Those being monitored got into contact with either the dead or confirmed cases. The team continues to monitor them on a daily basis for possible signs and symptoms of this highly infectious disease until they have completed 21 days without showing any signs and symptoms.
We have completed an orientation of the Kabale district taskforce on Marburg case presentation and prevention, barrier nursing and infection control. Plans are underway to conduct the orien-tation at Ibanda and at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.
We have trained a total of 42 volunteers from the Uganda Red Cross Society and deployed them to conduct house to house community sensitization and active case tracing.
We plan to set up burial committees in Ibanda district to manage burials of people suspected to have died of the disease. The committee will be oriented on burial procedures and infection prevention and control. This is one of the control measures to curb the spread of the highly con-tiguous disease.
The Ministry of Health would also wish to clarify on media reports that one of its officers, Dr. Sheila Ndyanabangi, the head of the Mental Health Unit Division, had contracted Marburg and had been isolated. Dr. Ndyanabangi has not been isolated but has been advised to exercise social distancing. She is one of the contacts who are being monitored. She has not developed any signs or symptoms of the disease and therefore cannot be isolated from the community. She is due to complete the 21 days of observation.
I once again urge the public to take the following measures to avert the spread of the disease.
? Report immediately any suspected patient to a nearby health unit
? Avoid direct contact with body fluids of a person suspected to be suffering from Marburg by using protective materials like gloves and masks
? Persons who have died of Marburg must be handled with strong protective wear and buried immediately
? Avoid eating dead animals
? Avoid unnecessary public gathering especially in the affected district
? Burial of suspicious community deaths should be done under close supervision of well trained burial teams
? Report all suspicious deaths to a nearby health facility

Once again the Ministry of Health calls upon the public to stay calm as all possible measures are being undertaken to control the situation.

Hon. Dr. Christine Ondoa
Minister of Health
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom