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www.msf.be has an update, but no figures.

http://www.msf.be/fr/terrain/pays/afrique/angola_news_35.shtml

[Google Translate]

Marburg sows the fear in north of Angola

Uige, May 26, 2005 Taken by a feeling of despair vis-a-vis lepidemy of Marburg which strikes the area, the inhabitants of the angolaise city of Uige sometimes suffer in silence, sometimes express their anger or flee their house. Marburg a hemorrhagic fever which resembles the virus Ebola already cost the life more than 280 people in the province, and of new cases are almost recorded tous.les.jours.

Vis-a-vis a disease which is transmitted by the simple contact of the infected people presenting of the symptoms, the few 200.000 townsmen of Uige want to know which is responsible. And sometimes, their fear becomes anger. Stones were thus launched in direction of the international teams which fight against lepidemy but cannot cure the patients, because it nexist no curative treatment. Lunique measures quils can take consists in isolating the people infected so déviter the transmission from the disease.

As the patients who enter to lhôpital come out from it very seldom alive, the families refuse dabandonner their patient and prefer to hide it at the house, running themselves the dêtre risk the next victims.

Day after day, Zita visited her Horacio husband in the processing center provincial Marburg of lhôpital of Uige. But of return to the barrio with the district of Camdombe Velho, it na not dared to say to the neighbors why her husband was sick. "If I told them this quil had, they nauraient more desired to approach my house" , tells Zita.

After having spent 13 days in the center, Horacio navait more the symptoms. It recently returned at his place. Horacio is lun first patients who seem to have gained the battle against the disease.

But for many inhabitants of Uige, lhôpital provincial remainder synonymous with death. Not only because the patients die there, but also because lhôpital is lun principal hearths of lepidemy. With lorigine, they are dabord the children of the service of pediatry who died, then their mothers, then the personnel of health 16 lost the life and the disease is spread with their close relations.

"Lorsquil has there as many death, people always seek a culprit" , explains Pasteur Alberto Moisés, in front of the teams of MSF and world lOrganisation of health (WHO) which come to seek a body in the barrio of Pedreira. "They say that Marburg is in lhôpital and that whoever sen approach dies. Many people fled in Luanda (the capital) or towards the villages."

In lun of the rudimentary buildings of the court of lhôpital, a team of MSF installed a processing center for the patients reached of Marburg. Covered with the head to the feet by a combination of bio-safety, the members of léquipe work under extreme conditions. In addition to the inevitable fear and intense heat quils must endure, their role is limited to accompany the patients jusquà a death almost some.

"Cest very frustrating" , entrusts Diana Pou, doctor MSF. "We can only wash the patients, give them food and drinks, and look after their symptoms."

"We must say that we are here to solve a problem of public health, and we must dissociate ourselves from any personal approach. Main goal is disoler the people infected for not quelles do not contaminate the others ", additions Luis Encinas, the medical coordinator.

To convince the population that lisolement patients is necessary sapparente to a task herculéenne. A team of MSF recently organized a meeting with the representatives of the barrio of Pedreira. Limportance damener the cases with lhôpital even sil ny has any treatment was discussed during hours. Cest then quun traditional guerissor intervened: "Jai a remedy. And jai already cured five people ", claimed it, unable to however give the name dune only. Suddenly, all the participants in the meeting including those which seemed the most convinced of the disoler need the patients started to ask that the traditional remedy be applied. Two short sentences had been enough to reverse the course of the meeting.

Beyond the failures of this kind, the local traditions and habits can become fatal weapons. In preparation dune ceremony denterrement with the barrio of Ngana Camana, April 10, the body dune woman, Madalena, was washed by its sSur Ana, its beautiful-sSur LISA and its Elisabeth goddaughter. These three women then died of Marburg.

"If we can prove that Madalena was infected, it will be clear that the virus could be transmitted to the moment when the body was washed" , explains Evelyn Depoortere, epidemiologist with Epicentre, the epidemiologic research center of MSF. Evelyn also examines if Madalena do not nappartient with a hearth of five people, very of Ngana Camana, who could have contracted Marburg in the local center of health. A team of lOMS noticed that the syringes, in this center, were re-used after being soaked during a few minutes in leau hot.

"One can compare with the AIDS" , explains Josefa Rodríguez, psychologist of MSF. "In Europe, after years of sensitizing, we succeeded in changing some behaviors. Here, we require that the population changes its habits into two weeks. And even if we do our better, this nest not simple."

Meanwhile and in spite of the fact that new cases are almost recorded tous.les.jours the inhabitants of Uige find a pretence of normality gradually. The streets, almost deserted a few weeks ago, were gradually repopulated. People do not cover any more the mouth with horror with the passage of the teams which collect the bodies. Accustomed with good dautres tests, the population surprises by its stoicism.

"In Angola, we knew the war" , explains Ligia María Costa Pedro, head of the service of pediatry with lhôpital of Uige. "We left and continued davancer there. Even if Marburg does many victims, there are always well some survivors." Ligia María lost seven of his/her colleagues, carried by Marburg.