Kampala - A hospital technician
has died of the Ebola-like Marburg virus in Kampala, the Ugandan government
announced on Sunday.
The man, aged 30, died in the Mengo
hospital where he worked in the capital of the east African country on
September 28, 11 days after falling ill, the authorities said.
Tests confirmed the presence of the
disease two days later.
The Marburg virus is one of the most
deadly known pathogens. Like Ebola, it causes severe bleeding, fever, vomiting
and diarrheoa.
The victim’s brother and one other
person he was in contact with have so far “developed signs” of the disease, the
ministry of health said in a statement.
“So far, a total of 80 people who
got into contact with the initial confirmed case have been identified and
isolated for the 21-day incubation period,” it added.
“These include 38 health workers
from Mengo hospital and 22 health workers from Mpigi Health Center IV.”
Like Ebola, the Marburg virus is
transmitted via contact with bodily fluids and fatality rates range from 25
percent to 80 percent.
Uganda’s Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana
Rugunda said the government could deal with any outbreak. “Uganda has
previously successfully handled similar situations of health threats involving
hemorrhagic fevers,” he wrote on Twitter.
A Marburg outbreak in Uganda in
October 2012 killed 10 people, about half of those who were confirmed infected
with the disease.
The Ebola epidemic that has been
raging in west Africa has so far claimed almost 3,500 lives, with Liberia,
Guinea and Sierra Leone worst hit.
Researchers announced in August that
a drug developed by Canada’s Tekmira Pharmaceuticals helped monkeys survive the
deadly infection in tests.
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