Pinging the list to the new Marburg Surveillance Project thread.
ping for reading in the morning.
EMBASSY LATEST WARDEN MESSAGE
For Immediate Release
May 4, 2005 U.S. Embassy, Office of Public AffairsEMBASSY LATEST WARDEN MESSAGE ON THE HEMORRHAGIC FEVER IN UIGE PROVINCE, ANGOLA
The United States Embassy Luanda recommends against travel to Uige province, Angola due to an outbreak of Marburg hemorrhagic fever. As of May 4, 2005, the Ministry of Health reported 310 cases and 279 deaths over a five-month period. The Angolan Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization, and the Centers for Disease Control-Atlanta are cooperating to identify recommended public health measures and treatment.
As of May 4, 2005, there are no new case of Marburg hemorrhagic fever in Luanda, Cabinda, Kwanza Sul, Kwanza Norte and Malange provinces. There are no reports of people contracting the disease in those provinces, as well as there are no active cases now reported in those regions. In Uige province, 1 case and 1 death were only reported within Uige city. In Damba, Songo, Negage, Puri and Maquela do Zombo municipalities no new case was reported. Health officials recommend that normal sanitary precautions should be used, including frequent hand washing, to minimize any chance of exposure.
Judith Anne,
Great idea, great thread.
That reference posting by EBH is great too. All the relevant information in one place
Thanks, Judith Anne!
You have her up! Good job Judith Anne
Thanks for a great thread Judith Anne. This really helps.
Great idea!
Now THATS kinda ominous.
PING - place marker ...
BTTT placemarker - Thanks for starting this thread.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200505100167.html
May 10, 2005 Mwala Kalaluka Mongu
HEALTH authorities in Mongu have gone on a Marburg alert after a resident of Imwiko North Park in the town died from what was suspected to be the deadly viral disease that has claimed several lives in neighbouring Angola.
And Mongu District Health Board chairman, Charles Wakung'uma has said that the provision of health services should be taken as a right.
Mongu director of health Dr. Francis Liywalii said during an interview in Namushakende yesterday that his office has carried out education and sensitisation programmes in the compound where, Mubita Nang'alelwa, who died from an acute illness and was buried at Katongo Cemetery in Mongu last week, resided.
According to investigations, the deceased had come back from a visit to neighbouring Angola sometime in January this year and some concerned residents in the town thought he could have contracted the virological disease, especially that he had bled from the mouth just before he died.
"We carried out sensitisation programmes in Imwiko North Park last week, because that is where the funeral of the man took place," said Dr.Liywalii.
Dr Liywalii was however, quick to point-out that clinical evidence did not show that the disease was Marburg, which is a virological disease that is in the same class as the Ebola virus.
He also said they have put in place preventive measures and that they will keep surveying the situation in Imwiko North Park compound in view of the development.
And the Central Board of Health (CBoH) in the Western Province has concluded a 10-day epidemic preparedness programme along the province's border areas following the outbreak of the deadly Marburg disease in neighbouring Angola.
A source disclosed that the undertaking also included the supplying of protective equipment in all the areas along the border with Angola apart from sensitising the communities in the areas that fall in the Kalabo and Shangombo districts.
The source said that the initiative was conducted with the help of neighbourhood health committees in the various communities.
The incubation period for Marburg is five to 10 days after contact, which is usually through droplet transmission and coming into contact with an infected person's body fluids, before the patient develops a fever and general body malaise. This is followed by the development of a rash and at this time the disease becomes highly infectious.
Marburg, according to expert information has claimed about 90 percent of the reported cases in Angola and is said to have become more virulent than before, and residents in Western Province fear that there might be a cross-over as has been the case with the livestock disease Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia (CBPP).
And opening a five-week workshop for Community Health Volunteers (CBVs) and Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) at Namushakende Youth Skills Training Centre yesterday, Wakung'uma noted that it would be difficult to stretch health services close to the people without involving members of the community.
"Health services should be seen as a right. It is extremely difficult for health workers in the rural health centres to cover all the places, because catchment areas for rural health centres are very, very wide," Wakun'guma observed.
Wakung'uma said the role that traditional birth attendants play in ensuring the drastic reduction of death among expectant mothers during child labour could not be overemphasised.
bump
The news is in, and is it VERY VERY BAD!
For the Ping list
(google translate using full page translate)
http://www.angonoticias.com/full_headlines.php?id=5246
Marburg Combat Complicated
The Quarry and Old Kandombe barrios in Uige continue to be a major source of the hemmorrhagice fever. The governor of Uije admits the situation is complicated. He stated "We hoped to enter the last phase of the combat BUT TODAY THE TREND IS OF A NEW OUTBREAK OF CASES IN THE COMMUNITY" [emphasis mine]
In Old Kandombe and Quarry, new cases are appearing and risk spreading to other locations which had been controlled."
New stratgeis are being launched to combat the Marburg virus. In Kandombe and Quarry at least five entire families have been killed.
QUARRY IS WHERE THE EPIDEMIC STARTED and the place where we have had more violence and hostile action [towards medical teams]. We have had an INCREASE OF MANY CASES and probably deaths.
We believe the epidemic will be controlled with new measures to combat the epidemic of Marburg hemmorrhagic fever in Uige.
Sports
FIFA postpone World Cup qualifier over virus fears
Fri May 13, 2005 12:09 PM GMT+05:30
LUANDA (Reuters) - A World Cup qualifier in Angola has been postponed because of fears over an outbreak of the Marburg virus which has killed nearly 300 people in the north of the country.
The African zone Group Four match between Angola and Algeria, scheduled for the capital Luanda on June 5, will now be played on August 17, FIFA have told the Angolan Football Federation.
But it could be moved to a neutral venue later in the year if the epidemic is not brought under control.
The Angolans are two points behind leaders Nigeria in the group, with Algeria in bottom place after failing to win in their last six matches.
The Angolan Football Federation on Friday criticised the FIFA decision, highlighting the distance from the epicentre of the outbreak to the capital. There have been 277 casualties, and more deaths are feared, in the northern province of Uige, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said last week.
The rare haemorrhagic fever is transmitted through bodily fluids including blood and saliva.
http://www.reuters.co.in/locales/c_newsArticle.jsp?type=sportsNews&localeKey=en_IN&storyID=8480910
ESA helps during Angolan Marburg outbreak
May 14, 2005, 04:01 GMT
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PARIS (SPX) -- World Health Organisation personnel combating an Angolan outbreak of the lethal Marburg virus used high-resolution satellite-based urban maps provided through a pair of ESA-led activities.
The Marburg virus causes Ebola-like internal bleeding in humans, with an incubation period of between five and nine days. A Marburg outbreak was detected in Angola's Luanda city at the start of April.
It has since taken the lives of more than 255 victims, many of them children under five.
To help local World Health Organisation (WHO) teams fight the epidemic, updated maps of Angolan cities based on 2.5-metre resolution SPOT 5 imagery along with metric IKONOS images were prepared.
The maps have been used to orientate field workers, plan activities and integrate information on the spread of cases.
"This product will be of great help to our organisation with the recent outbreak of Marburg virus," said Johan Lemarchand of WHO. Latest reports indicate the virus is now under control.
The urban maps were provided through the ESA-led activities Epidemio and Respond. The first is a Data User Element project to supply satellite data and products to epidemiologists exploring links between the environment and disease.
Respond is a consortium dedicated to supplying satellite-based geo-information products direct to humanitarian users in the field, with partners including UNOSAT, an in-sector service provider within the United Nations community as well as the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).
Respond has been established as part of the pilot services of Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES), a joint initiative between ESA and the European Union to build a global monitoring capability in support of Europe's environmental and sustainable development goals.
On behalf of Respond, UNOSAT in collaboration with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and with DLR provided WHO with a map of the city of Cabinda, UNOSAT also providing a map of Uige, capital of the province at the epicentre of the epidemic.
At the same time, Epidemio partner company C-CORE has supplied a map of the Angolan capital Luanda.
Both UNOSAT and C-CORE stayed in close contact with WHO, organising a makeshift partnership to ensure reliable and timely support for both activities.
Distributed by United Press International
http://science.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_7963.php/ESA_helps_during_Angolan_Marburg_outbreak
Please put me on your ping list.
I'm wondering again what happened to Mother Abigail? She got us started with the SARS thread two years ago then quickly faded away. The same has happened this year with the Marburg outbreak. Like most of us here I very much miss her words of wisdom and commentary. I'm also concerned about Kelly_2000 and hope we are once again blessed with her words of wisdom and expertise. Not to say we don't appreciate your informative words of experience also Judith Anne because we do. Thanks for all of your efforts creating and maintaining this thread.
BUMP