WHO promptly responds to Marburg outbreak in Eastern Uganda

24 Octobre 2017

Kampala, Ugand, October 24 (Infosplusgabon) - Following the confirmation of a case of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) in Kween district of eastern Uganda by the country’s Ministry of Health and the activation of the National Response Team, the World Health Organization (WHO) Rapid Response team from the country office was able to reach the epicentre within 48 hours and is currently supporting national and district authorities to contain the outbreak.

Kween, a mountainous district with poor road network borders Kenya and the people in both countries are closely related making cross-border transmission a real possibility, WHO cautioned on Monday.

The WHO Regional Office for Africa has sent notification to the authorities in Kenya to be on high alert in case of a spillover.

MVD resembles Ebola Virus Disease in terms of transmission and presentation meaning its containment is a race against time for local and international health workers currently battling the outbreak.

For the WHO team, one urgent intervention has been to set up an isolation unit at Kapronron Health Centre IV whose catchment area covers the epicentre and where the confirmed and suspected case were residing.

In a press statement, WHO explained that intervention has also involved briefing the staff on MVD, orienting them on the proper use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and giving psychosocial support to some staff who are scared and anxious.

“The staff have been organized into teams and shifts and put on full alert and standby for possible new cases. The Ministry of Health has availed ambulances and transport vehicles to evacuate case(s) from wherever they occur in the district.

“Surveillance, contact tracing and listing as well as active case search are going on undertaken by health workers from the ministry and the district health team with guidance and support from WHO,” it said.

As of 21October, the team had listed 47 contacts who are being monitored and followed up daily for support and care should they develop sign and symptoms. So far, there is one confirmed case, a 50-year-old lady, who died and one suspected case, her brother a hunter who she cared for while sick and later died with sign and symptoms consistent with MVD.

The major challenge for the team has been locating a high risk suspected case – a brother to the confirmed case who transported her to the hospital and the body back home for burial who disappeared on learning that he was needed for monitoring. Teams are actively searching for him with assistance for family and community members and the authorities.

There was also the challenge of the 2-year-old child who died in hospital and had MVD-like signs and symptoms but has since been confirmed not to be linked to the confirmed or suspected case.

FIN/INFOSPLUSGABON/ILO/GABON 2017

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