Marburg kills one health worker, 80 under close watch

Kampala, Monday. The Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation yesterday confirmed the outbreak of Marburg Viral fever in the country after one person died of the disease on September 28.

Laboratory test results done at Uganda Virus Research Institute confirmed that the 30-year old-man, a health worker at Mengo Hospital, died of Marburg. The deceased  man’s brother, who is also a health worker at the hospital, has also been quarantined at the facility after he presented with signs of the disease a few days after the first case was buried.

Samples have been taken to UVRI for further tests and the results are expected by midday. According to the Acting Minister for Health, Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, the ministry has dispatched teams of epidemiologists to Mengo, Mpigi hospitals and Kasese District where the deceased was buried last month. “We are tracing all the possible people that the deceased may have had contact with for close monitoring for at least 21 days. In the meantime, we call upon the public to remain alert and report any suspected cases,” Dr Elioda said.

According to a press statement issued by the ministry, the deceased, who originally worked at Mpigi Health Centre IV, had been recruited by Mengo Hospital two months ago as a radiographer.

“He started feeling unwell on September 17 while at Mengo Hospital and travelled back to Mpigi HCIV on September 18 to seek treatment since he felt more comfortable with a facility that he had worked with for a long time,” reads the statement.  He was treated at Mpigi Health Centre IV but when his condition worsened, he was transferred back to Mengo where he was admitted on September 23.  He presented with headache, bleeding from different body openings, abdominal pain, vomiting blood and diarrhoea.  He passed away on September 28 and his body was taken to Munkunyu village, Munkunyu Sub-county, Kasese for burial.(NMG)