An outbreak of Marburg, a highly infectious haemorrhagic fever, has been reported in western Uganda.
The outbreak was discovered after a child died, according to Reuters, while Stat reports that two cases of Marburg were reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) this week.
Uganda is already trying to contain an outbreak of Ebola Bundibugyo Virus, which is also a viral haemorrhagic fever.
The US Embassy in Uganda noted reports of Marburg on Monday and urged caution. The US issued a level four “do not travel” alert for Uganda on 4 June, citing “crime, health, terrorism, and unrest”. This came in the wake of the declaration of Ebola Bundibugyo as a public health of international concern by the WHO on 17 May.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the Marburg outbreak, which Uganda is obliged to report in terms of the International Health Regulations, in Kyegegwa district involving an 18-month-old child who had died.
Meanwhile, Uganda has reported 20 cases of Ebola Bundibugyo, the majority from the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
While Africa CDC said that all the country’s Ebola cases stem from the DRC, a local newspaper, Monitor, reports that five of the cases involved local transmission.
Marburg is usually transmitted from animals to humans, with Egyptian Rousettus bats being a key carrier of the virus.
Image Credits: WHO.
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