2 die from Marburg virus in Uganda
Print Edition
Two people have died from the Marburg virus in eastern Uganda, in the country’s first outbreak of the deadly Ebola-like pathogen in three years, the health ministry said yesterday.
“Blood samples were taken from two people who have since died and were found positive for Marburg,” Uganda’s health ministry permanent secretary Dr Diana Atwine said.
She said a team of experts had been sent to Kween district, near the Kenyan border, to contain the virus.
“At moment we don’t know if there are other people apart from the dead who have contracted the disease because the health experts are still investigating in addition to sensitising the population about the dangers of Marburg and we call for public vigilance,” she added.
One individual was a male hunter who died on September 25. His 50-year-old sister died on October 11.
“The second victim had taken care of her brother during his sickness and burial preparation rituals when we suspect she contracted the disease,” Health Minister Ruth Achieng said.
The two are the first recorded cases of Marburg in Kween district.
The Uganda Virus Research Institute said the first known case of Marburg in the country was in the western district of Kamwenge in 2007.
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