New Vision (Kampala)

Uganda: Marburg Outbreak Confirmed in Kabale

19 October 2012
Photo: IRIN
New Marburg fever case confirmed.

Health experts have confirmed an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in the western district of Kabale after samples from two relatives taken to the Uganda Virus Institute tested positive.

Police Thursday stopped the burial of Boaz Turyahikayo a lecturer at Uganda Christian University and his sister Mildrid Asasira after it emerged that their family had lost four people from a mysterious disease in just a month.

The other two are Lillian Banegura their mother and an elder brother Bernard Rutaro who passed away early this month.

Dr. Patrick Tusiime the Kabale district health officer said a team from the Ministry of Health and World Health Organization is on its way to oversee the burial of the two victims.

The Marburg virus was last reported in Uganda in 2008.

It carries symptoms similar to those of Ebola that include fever, vomiting and internal bleeding.

  • Comment

Copyright © 2012 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 130 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.

Comments Post a comment

InFocus

Marburg Fever Claims Seven in Uganda

The hemorrhagic virus has claimed seven lives since experts first reported the outbreak in western Uganda. The health ministry has requested 2.3 billion shillings for a Marburg ... Read more »