Laboratory tests on samples collected in August have confirmed the presence of the Marburg haemorrhagic fever virus in northeast DRC, a regional WHO official told IRIN on Tuesday. "We have received three positive laboratory tests" for Marburg, he said. The samples were collected from patients in the Durba area of Province Orientale between 11-20 August. However, there has been no laboratory confirmation of haemorrhagic fever among more recent suspected patients, and there were currently no "active" cases reported from the area, the official said. "The hypothesis is that the disease is somehow endemic there," he said. "We are now considering sending a team to proceed with further investigation," he added. Tests results from samples collected by MSF in Durba earlier this month are still awaited.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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