Uganda's top health official announced on Thursday that the spread of the deadly Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever (MHF) that left one miner dead has been contained.
Stephen Malinga, the minister of health, told the press that it is now over 25 days since the last case of the MHF was reported, which is more than the maximum incubation period of 21 days for the virus infection.
"Theoretically, the transmission chain has been broken, the transmission has been stopped and the outbreak contained," Malinga announced, flanked by George Melville, the World Health Organization country representative, and other health experts.
He, however, noted that as a precautionary measure, the experts have decided to maintain active surveillance, case management, infection control and social mobilization activities for an additional 21 days.
MHF, like Ebola, is characterized by sudden bleeding and high fever, resulting into death within a week if untreated.
Ugandan health officials confirmed an outbreak of MHF on Aug. 1 traced to the now closed Kitaka mine in Kamwenge district, some 250km west of Kampala.
Lab results showed that one miner died of the virus while the other suspected of the infection was recovering after treatment.
The virus can be transmitted through close contact with blood and other body fluids from carriers who have developed clinical symptoms. It can also be transmitted following exposure to contaminated items, such as bedding and clothing of the patients.
The experts said they are now monitoring over 197 people who made contacts with the two cases.
"Preliminary results show that these people do not have the disease because they have not developed any symptoms. We are however waiting for confirmatory laboratory results," said Ambrose Talisuna, assistant commissioner epidemiology and surveillance at the ministry of health.
Pierre Formenty, a WHO official in the Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response, warned that whereas the disease has been contained, it is likely it still exists in the nature.
"We have stopped this outbreak but we can not say Uganda is Marburg free because the virus still exists in nature. It may reoccur in another place. We however have to be optimistic," Formenty said.
Statistics by WHO show that the last two recent outbreak of MHF in the Democratic Republic of Congo during 1998-2000 and in Angola during 2004-2005 have claimed 128 and 323 lives respectively.
Source: Xinhua
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