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Reference ID U278TAW

Headline Uganda: Marburg virus disease, August 2007

Description At Radio West in Mbarara, a city in the Western Region of Uganda, two DJs provide information on Marburg hemorrhagic fever. The Ugandan Ministry of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and WHO work with local media to provide the public with key information on the disease. In addition to print, radio is an important vehicle to support information and education campaigns.
Marburg virus disease (MVD), formerly known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often deadly illness. The Marburg virus is a close relative of Ebola, and the two zoonotic pathogens are clinically similar and lead to severe viral haemorrhagic fever in humans. Though rare, both diseases have the capacity to cause dramatic outbreaks with high fatality rates. There is as yet no proven treatment or vaccine available for MVD. In 2007, two cases of Marburg haemorrhagic fever were identified in a remote mining area in western Uganda. One, a miner, died in July. A public information campaign was launched along with training courses for local health workers. Concurrently, an international team of experts and scientists worked to identify the hosts of the virus and its mode of natural transmission in the environment. In their quest to locate the reservoir of the Marburg virus, team members explored Kitaka mine cave, where the outbreak appeared to have started. At a laboratory set up nearby, they examined bats that were captured in the mine. Working through the night, scientists searched blood and organ samples for Marburg virus antibodies. This photo story documents the joint efforts of WHO and its partners in the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) to monitor, investigate, and control the outbreak of Marburg fever in Uganda.

Asset date 08/24/2007

Country, area, WHO office Uganda

City Mbarara

WHO Region AFRO

Consent No

File size 1.38 MB

Visibility class:

Public

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