ANGOLA is facing what appears to be the largest outbreak yet of the Ebola-like virus Marburg. It began in October last year in the northern province of Uige and may now have spread to the capital, Luanda. Last week a 12-year-old girl in the city was admitted to hospital with symptoms of the disease.
The death toll is estimated at 126, with three-quarters of victims under 5 years old. Border officials are on alert to stop the spread of the virus, which causes high fever, vomiting and bloody discharge.
The World Health Organization has not issued any advice about travel to and from Angola, but is working with local officials to assess the extent of the outbreak. A mobile laboratory from Canada will be in Luanda this week to help speed diagnosis and allow health workers to trace people who have come into contact with confirmed cases. They will be monitored and isolated if symptoms appear.
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鈥淲e need to know the size of the outbreak, where it came from and where it might go鈥�
鈥淲e need to understand the size of the outbreak, where it came from and where it might go,鈥� says WHO spokesman Dick Thompson.
