UN launches aid appeal for Marburg epidemic in Angola

As international concern mounts, officials announced Friday that the death toll from the epidemic of Marburg hemorrhagic fever in northern Angola has jumped to 174.

In a joint statement, the Angola Health Ministry and the World Health Organization said 15 more people had died from the disease in the 24-hour period since last update on Thursday and 19 new cases had been reported for a total of 200.

All the reported cases of the Ebola-like disease had originated in the northwestern province of Uige, though a small number of patients have died elsewhere, including Luanda, the statement said.

The first five deaths in the neighboring province of Zaire occurred Thursday.

Marburg hemorrhagic fever is characterized by headache, nausea, vomit and bloody diarrhea. It spreads through close contact with bodily fluids including blood, saliva and semen.

WHO's Deputy Director General, Anarfi Asamoa-Baah, issued an alert in Luanda Thursday for neighboring countries to adopt emergency precautions to avoid the spread of the epidemic that first broke out in Uige in October.