Marburg haemorrhagic fever in Uganda - update

14 August 2007

Results of laboratory tests on blood samples from Kampala and Kamwenge performed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA have confirmed Marburg virus infection in the putative index case, a mine worker, and in one of his close contacts during his illness. Contact tracing and monitoring has been carried out to ensure no further transmission of disease, and the extended contacts are coming to the end of their period of observation.

An international team, including experts from WHO, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Médecins sans Frontières , Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET) and local NGOs are supporting the Ministry of Health, Uganda to strengthen active surveillance, contact tracing, infection control, logistics, and social mobilization activities in an effort to contain this outbreak.

Ecological studies are underway by a team of experts from the CDC, WHO and the Government of Uganda , to establish the hosts and mode of natural transmission of the virus in the environment, with particular emphasis on the mines and surrounding area.

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