Posted on 04/20/2005 7:59:50 PM PDT by Judith Anne
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]
LUANDA, 18 Apr 2005 (IRIN) - Traditional funeral rites in Angola are putting the families of Marburg victims at risk of contracting the killer virus.
For most Angolan families, preparing the body, and kissing and embracing the deceased loved one are integral to bidding a final farewell. But the secretions from a body increase after death, making such practices highly dangerous in the case of a Marburg-related death.
"We're just telling them: 'please don't touch [suspect corpses]'; 'you cannot touch them - call in the specialised groups from the nearest health unit and let them deal with the corpse because you can get very easily contaminated if you try to touch them'," the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) communication assistant, Celso Malavoloneke, told IRIN.
The death toll from the epidemic - the world's worst to date - now stood at 235 of a total of 257 known cases.
In northern Uige province - the epicentre of the Marburg crisis - medical teams had been dispatched to people's homes when alerted to a suspected case or death.
Information was being disseminated via radio and television advertisements, traditional leaders and healers, churches and mobile teams of 'activists', telling people how to spot a suspected case of Marburg and to alert the health authorities immediately, and advising family members on how to care for the sick and protect themselves from the Ebola-like fever.
This included wearing masks and gloves, or using strong plastic bags without holes if gloves were not available.
Malavoloneke said passing on the message about how to care for the sick or bid farewell to the deceased while protecting oneself was not always easy.
"We know it's hard, and that's where the cultural challenge comes: we're all parents and it would be very hard for someone to tell you not to touch your own child if he is sick," he pointed out.
"You know that all these African societies are very much tied to ancestry, and also the way you treat deceased beloved ones; for the people here not to be able to pay their last tribute and respect to deceased beloved ones - that's particularly hard," he added.
Overcoming deep-rooted traditions remained the biggest challenge, according to health ministry officials.
Although Uige's provincial hospital now had a fully equipped and staffed isolation unit, many families were still 'hiding' the sick at home.
Medical workers said there was widespread mistrust of the isolation unit, in part because the Marburg mortality rate of more than 90 percent meant the sick did not return home once they were admitted.
World Health Organisation epidemiologist Francois Libama said he had hope that the epidemic could be stamped out, despite the rising death toll.
"If we succeed in managing all the cases and the funerals, we'll start reducing the risk of transmission," he told IRIN.
"In the case of an epidemic it's impossible to say how many days or months lie ahead, but I believe in the days to come we will have more hope," Libama added. "I believe a day will come when we will see the end of the tunnel."
Person has malaria. Supposed to be Marburg free.
United 1000, I have a question for you and for everyone:
What would the response of the world be, if Angola just out and out said that they had a terrible outbreak, that they needed the help and resources of the world to contain--just like the tsunami stricken areas needed help and resources?
What if they honestly spoke of their fears of contagion to the world--what if they asked for huge medical help, huge financial help--what if they quit trying to minimize, and instead said that they had no idea, that their people were in desperate need, that the health of the world might very well depend on the world's response--would the media still ignore the deadly threat of this outbreak, or would we see an unparalled response of aid, money, health care workers, etc?
It's what I would do, if I were in charge in Angola...
When he considers it an epidemic there will be no word out of Angola.
I'm not sure that the Angolan officials are deliberately lying to us. In their mindset, I think they believe they have no real problem.
And it's not as if it's damaging them economically. I have never heard of a single tourist from the west going to Angola. I'm sure there have been some, but it has to be miniscule.
What if they really are containing the outbreak? My guesstimation is that we're in the 14th-16th generation of transmission and that's right about what was thought to be the upper limit of Marburg viability.
Agreed.
Good news, thanks.
You may be right. A few hundred dead people out of millions, who cares?
That would be wonderful! Let it be so...
I suspect you have more concern for the victims of Marburg than the officials in Angola. Sad.
Lord, have mercy. I hadn't thought of that, just thinking about how poor and poorly educated the people are, how they have multiple little local powers-that-be, etc...
S.Africa says suspected Marburg case is malaria
21 Apr 2005 10:51:44 GMT
Source: Reuters
JOHANNESBURG, April 21 (Reuters) - A sick Angolan traveller under observation in South Africa as a possible victim of the deadly Marburg virus has been determined to be suffering from malaria,
35 posted on 04/21/2005 8:06:59 AM PDT by EBH
I wouldn't have known, either, except for EBH above...it takes all of us, working together.
Honestly, as during the SARS outbreak, I think the most accurate and up-to-date information, with some of the most informed speculation on Marburg ANYWHERE outside the mind of Dr. Niman--is being done right here on FR. I am so proud to be a part of this group.
Truthfully, my knowledge base isn't large enough to be able to answer your question. I've asked Dr. Niman about it, in an email. I'll post his answer.
..."Unfortunately the numbers are going up. We don't see any signs of it being under control. We know we're in for a hard fight," says Daigle. "Whether we're in the peak or the downside, I don't think our experts know. But we know it's not contained."
The virus could lead to a serious crisis if it spreads worldwide. With Angola's health system in ruins, destroyed by 27 years of civil war, the trucks searching for the sick are the front line in this deadly epidemic.
But a public health campaign promoting public hygience has had some success. Crowds clamour for government handouts of disenfectant. It's one way to slow the spread of the disease.
The bodies of the dead are potential viral bombs, says Dr. William Pereira of the UN World Health Organization. "This is an extremely contagious virus. And contact with secretions, the body's fluids, may be very dangerous."...
..."Unfortunately the numbers are going up. We don't see any signs of it being under control. We know we're in for a hard fight," says Daigle. "Whether we're in the peak or the downside, I don't think our experts know. But we know it's not contained."
The virus could lead to a serious crisis if it spreads worldwide. With Angola's health system in ruins, destroyed by 27 years of civil war, the trucks searching for the sick are the front line in this deadly epidemic.
But a public health campaign promoting public hygience has had some success. Crowds clamour for government handouts of disenfectant. It's one way to slow the spread of the disease.
The bodies of the dead are potential viral bombs, says Dr. William Pereira of the UN World Health Organization. "This is an extremely contagious virus. And contact with secretions, the body's fluids, may be very dangerous."...
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1114100511768_109509711/?hub=TopStories
Thanks for always finding good articles, and putting them here for us to read.
Crowds clamoring for disinfectant...Lord have mercy...
The million dollar question right now is, "Will Marburg burn itself out?" Any light Dr. Niman can shed on this question would be most welcome. Glad you've got the connection.
I had not heard 14 to 16 generations as the previously believed upper limit for Marburg transmission, but that would obviously be great news. (I seem to recall 10 for Ebola, but that is definitely not certain.)
In this case, I would want to know if we have current evidence to support any previously estimated transmission limits. Given the much higher mortality rate for this variant of Marburg, you have to wonder what else has changed as well.
Or what may be changing, inside multiple patients, as we speak.
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