Marburg outbreak becomes world's worst

The death toll from the rare Marburg virus in Angola has risen to 126, making it the world's worst outbreak of the haemorrhagic fever. The latest figures from the Ministry of Health-led national technical commission, set up to combat the virus, showed that all the deaths originated in the northern province of Uige, and most of the victims were children. So far 132 cases of infection have been recorded. The previous most lethal outbreak in modern times occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1998 and 2000, which claimed 123 lives. The technical commission, which also includes the World Health Organisation (WHO), UN Children's Fund, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta and international medical NGO Medicins Sans Frontieres, said it was setting up rapid-test laboratories in both Uige province and the capital, Luanda. "We have created the conditions to carry out diagnostic examinations with rapid tests ... with the objective of stopping the spread of the virus," the commission said in a statement. "The commission ... recommends reinforcing the technical capacity of health personnel ... to alleviate the overload on the teams in the laboratory and reducing the risk of infection among health workers," it added. Other measures included sending health protocols and emergency plans to the high-risk provinces - those bordering Uige as well as Luanda and the enclave of Cabinda - and to put reinforced medical teams on stand-by to tackle any suspected cases of the extremely contagious virus. According to the CDC the mortality rate from Marburg is usually around 23 to 25 percent in more developed countries, but Angola's rate is much higher, with the country's health system, left in tatters after 27 years of civil war, struggling to cope with the outbreak. Meanwhile, news of the escalation in infections continued to concern residents in Luanda, who feared that it was only a matter of time before the outbreak reached the capital. Shops were running out of bottles of household bleach, which locals were adding to their water supply to kill bacteria, while some parents were reportedly keeping their children out of school for fear they could catch the virus. "My two sons are still going to school, but I'm using a car to take them directly there and pick them up as soon as their classes finish," said one shop assistant who said she was "extremely scared" by news of the increased Marburg caseload. "They are not playing in the street and we're not going to the beach or to the swimming pool. It's just too dangerous," she added. Despite a nationwide information campaign urging those with symptoms to seek immediate medical attention, the young mother said she and many of her friends and neighbours would not go to hospital even if they got sick for fear that they could catch the disease from other patients. The illness, characterised by high fever, severe headaches, vomiting and diarrhoea, is from the same family as the deadly Ebola virus. The first cases in the Angolan epidemic occurred in October, and the death toll has steadily increased since then. Earlier this week, the Deputy Minister for Health Jose van Dunem said the authorities would impose a three-week quarantine on anyone who had visited Uige, preventing them from leaving the country. Van Dunem said the incubation period for Marburg was 21 days, although the CDC on its website says the incubation period is five to 10 days. First recognised in 1967 and indigenous to Africa, little is known about Marburg and there is no specific cure for it. However, supportive hospital therapy, including balancing fluids, maintaining oxygen levels and blood pressure and the treatment of complicating infections, helps overcome the disease.