Marburg Surveillance Project Thread II

Various | May 31, 2005 | Vanity

[Judith Anne]

This is the Marburg Surveillance Project Thread II.

This thread, as the first one was, will be used for all of the latest Marburg Outbreak News and comments. This is the place to post all comments about the Marburg outbreak, all articles and links to articles about the Marburg outbreak.

[EternalHope]

Apparently the diamond mines in the region were only recently discovered, and over 10,000 miners have rushed to the area. The little I have seen makes it seem similar to an old west gold rush. Living conditions are reported to be bad.

[Domestic Church]

"but I'm thinking the presence of so many diseases is related more to the horrific squalor that these people live in and less with biowarfare."

And perhaps that environment was part of the test run plan for the confusion factor, (if this is such a test run.) I would expect the Chinese to isolate and test any natural recombinant as much as they would any man made bug.


BTW, Have you noticed the clamor about overpopulation isn't as strident as it once was?

[tdewey10]

Marburg Latest

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-08/08/content_3327503.htm


LUANDA, Aug. 8 (Xinhuanet) -- A total of 324 people have died of Marburg virus so far in the Uige province of Angola, according to the Health Ministry spokesman Carlos Alberto.

Alberto was quoted by local media as saying on Monday that health officials were keeping 37 people who have had direct contact with infected victims in quarantine, adding that the latest case was recorded last Monday.

Although an epidemic was not declared by the Ministry of Healthand the World Health Organization (WHO) until March, the first case of the disease was registered in Angola on October 13, 2004.

Spreading through contact with bodily fluids, Marburg can kill rapidly as there is no vaccine against it.

The Marburg virus was first identified in 1967. Several African countries including South Africa and Kenya have also experienced the epidemic. In the last known outbreak of Marburg, 123 people were killed in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo between 1998 and 2000. Enditem

[xVIer]

Hi tdewey10 !
I have been so busy lately I can barely keep up! Thanks for posting this update...its still not over, as many of us suspected, more bad news imo... at least they are admitting it. It is still very much on my mind. Thanks again! This thread has slowed down due to lack of news but unfortunately its not dead yet...

[xVIer]

Hey there...check out these...I would love your comments on the second article.

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http://allafrica.com/stories/200508120457.html
Over 18,000 People Sensitised About Marburg Virus
The Red Cross of Angola (CVA) sensitised, in the northern Uige province, 18,526 people about the Marburg virus that affects that region since October 2004, in ambit of the resources mobilization programme meant to eliminate the disease that have so far caused over 300 deaths.

Angop learnt this on Thursday, in Luanda, from CVA's national coordinator for disasters preparadness programme, Kiala SimÆo, who considered positive the work carried out during the months of June and July with the aid of 38 voluntary workers.

From the sensitised number 7,379 are men and 11,147 women in the districts of Uige, Songo, Quitexe, Puri, Negage and Bungo.

During the referred period, the Red Cross distributed 1,875 goods such as lixivium, soap, blankets, mosquito nets and untensils to help 355 people affected by the pathology.

Red Cross's work was supported by, among other entities, the World Health Organisation(WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Ministry of Assistance and Social Welfare and the World Food Programme (FAO).


However, the erradication of the haemorrhagic fever caused by the Marburg virus is close from being declared, considering that since July 21, period when the seventh member of a victimised family passed away (Cazola village), Songo district, no more case has been detected.

From October 2004 to 25 July 2005 around 316 deaths caused by Marburg, from which 207 suspected and 152 confirmed at the laboratory, making a total of 359 cases.

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http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=30019&archive=true

By Steve Mraz, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Tuesday, August 9, 2005

Steve Mraz / S&S
Master Sgt. Bradford Kelly receives an immunization Monday for his upcoming deployment to Angola.

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Dozens of soldiers were lined up Monday and shot.

But instead of bullets, soldiers preparing to participate in MEDFLAG 05 were stuck with syringes containing immunizations against yellow fever and other sinister maladies.

A joint task force of 212 troops from the Army and Air Force, led by the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, will begin deploying to the southwest African nation of Angola for MEDFLAG 05 later this month. Since the 1980s, U.S. European Command has organized military medical exercises in African nations under the MEDFLAG moniker.

At the heart of the deployment is a mass-casualty exercise with the Angolan military. Other missions include national disaster relief training with Angolan civilians and military; and humanitarian and medical assistance for Angolan citizens.

During the 30-day exercise, 212th MASH troops expect to perform between 80 and 100 surgeries and treat 1,500 patients, according to a mission fact sheet.

The troops, who will start deploying later this month, must have all the proper immunizations and medications against medical threats in Angola. The immunizations began Monday in Kaiserslautern at the Kleber Health Clinic, which is the deployment and reintegration medical hub in the Kaiserslautern military community. More shots and medical screenings will take place next week.

“The Kleber Health Clinic has a pretty big role in screening the medical records and making sure that we deploy with the right pharmaceutical products to ensure that we get protected from any medical threats that are down there and that we are up-to-date with our immunizations,” said Maj. Soo Lee Davis, 212th MASH executive officer.

With malaria, yellow fever, leishmaniasis, African sleeping sickness and the deadly Marburg hemorrhagic fever found in Angola, force protection for the troops is of the utmost importance. While an outbreak of Marburg occurred earlier this year in Angola, the area the troops will be in Angola does not have the lethal virus.

Since October 2004, the Kleber clinic has deployed or reintegrated about 1,300 soldiers, said Maj. Hugh McLean, commander of the Kleber Health Clinic.

“We take care of all their immunizations, their hearing, eyeglasses and anything that they medically need done,” he said. “All their prescriptions are given out here, and depending on where they’re going and for how long, we give them an amount sufficient enough to sustain them.”

In addition to medically preparing soldiers to deploy and reintegrating them, the clinic also inprocesses all soldiers in the KMC, provides troop medical care and conducts medical care for active-duty family members, retirees and Department of Defense civilians.

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[Kelly_2000]

timing? hmmm

[EternalHope]

Very interesting, especially the second article. Thanks for posting.

If Marburg has a seasonal element to it, we may be seeing a seasonal lull.

H5N1 flu seems to be a more easily spread, and hence a more immediate threat. However, one of the more surprising possibilities is that a hemorrhagic fever of some kind (Ebola? Marburg?) may have had a recombination event with H5N1 flu in China.

Since China is not cooperating with the rest of the world, this is unconfirmed.

[Domestic Church]

Prayers going up for those soldiers. I would imagine they will be taking specimens from both animal and human population.

[tdewey10]

Interesting stuff. Thanks for posting.

[xVIer]

Thank you all for your thoughts on the post. It has been almost exactly one month since the news blackout at the height of the outbreak, followed by claims of under control. Now we have troops going in for medical "exercises"... And considering whats going on in China, I am full of suspicion over this report. And 18,000 people being sensitized by the Red Cross... I'm still betting things aren't as well as they seem in Angola. Again considering the reports of Ebola in China, the situation seems to be quietly deteriorating. I personally feel that if I knew a month ago that we would have MASH units going there within 30 days I would have definately not believed it was over. I think its very possible Ebola and the Avian Flu may have joined together in China...or that Marburg/Ebola is spreading seperately...not at all under control. I think the massive die-off of apes and monkeys was a bad omen for the human race...and the touted vaccine probably will come to late for many.
Okay ... tin-foil body armour is on but I haven't been able to believe the official line since this all started.

[tdewey10]

Well something is still going on.

http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia.asp?ID=366317

Ministry of Health just released new guidelines for how to avoid contracting Marburg.

[Domestic Church]

That certainly does make this a non-non-issue.

[xVIer]

Red Cross Partners Support Fight Against Marburg Virus

Luanda, 08/18 - About Euro 178,000 is the amount of money used by the Angolan Red Cross (CVA) in the sensitisation of the population of Uige province in the fight against the Marburg virus that hits the northern region since last October, killing more than 300 people.

According to a CVA report, that Angop had got access, of the amount, at least Euro 62,000 were donated by Germany, Euro 5 000 from England and Euro 11,000 by the International Federation of the Red Cross which during May, June and July contributed for the awareness of the population and in capacitating of 168 activists.

The sensitisation work in the province of Uige, continues as the heamorrhagic fever is not eradicated completely.

During the period in reference, the Red Cross has sensitised at least 18.526 people on danger of the Marburg virus, in the ambit of the resources mobilisation programme to combat the deadly disease.
http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=367035

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"NOT COMPLETELY ERADICATED"
Hmmm...

[xVIer]

Hi...WHO actually gave an update!

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http://www.who.int/csr/don/2005_08_24/en/
Marburg haemorrhagic fever in Angola – update 25

24 August 2005

As of 23 August 2005, the Ministry of Health in Angola reported a total of 374 cases, including 329 deaths (CFR 88%) reported countrywide. Of these, 368 cases, including 323 deaths, were reported in Uige Province. A total of 158 cases were laboratory confirmed.

52 contacts are being monitored in Uige Province and clinical specimens from alerts continue to be shipped to the Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, for diagnostic testing.

The last confirmed case of Marburg died on 21 July 2005 in Songo municipality, Uige Province. There have been no laboratory confirmed cases since then.

[tdewey10]

Nice language "no laboratory confirmed cases" -- nothing about suspected cases.

[tdewey10]

Nice language "no laboratory confirmed cases" -- nothing about suspected cases.

[tdewey10]

Strange news of the day:

http://www.angonoticias.com/full_headlines.php?id=6718

Uige central hospital is closed because workers are demanding additional money because they are at risk of catching Markburg and the director of the hospital is running from government authorities and accused of not having a proper license.

[tdewey10]

Markburg = Marburg. Computer problems today.

[xVIer]

Thanks tdewey10...I appreciate the ping. Although this thread fizzled when the news blackout came I am also still watching this regularly. Very telling that the hospital workers are feeling they are at risk of catching marburg, don't know what to make of the director fleeing, but I recall him or another(?) being accused of witchcraft during the outbreak..please post anything new...Thanks FRiend!

[xVIer]

http://allafrica.com/stories/200509080748.html
A capacity-building seminar intended for the training on planning and management of situations of natural disasters will take place on September 12, in Caxito, Northern Bengo province, under the joint military exercises involving members of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and of the US Army, which has been nicknamed "Med-Flag/2005", an official source told Angop on Wednesday.

The seminar will address the treatment of information in emergency situations, the experience of Angola in these situations, such as the floods in Dondo city or the Marburg epidemic, as well as the organisation and planning of emergency situations.

The Med-Flag exercises, which will take place September 13-17, in Ambriz region, Bengo province, some 200 kms off North of Luanda, will involve around 700 soldiers from the FAA and another 223 members of the US Army from the European Command (EUCOM).

The exercises include simulation of rescue operations in situations calamities and natural disasters.

Angola will participate in the exercise with members of the Army, Navy and Air Force, Police, Fire Brigade, the Militia, the Angola Red Cross and the Ministry of Health.

Besides the simulation, the exercise will also witness real operations in the field of medical assistance to patients who happen to move to the venue, where a campaign hospital is being mounted, by specialists and physicians from EUCOM, who will be in charge of the treatment.

The FAA National Health Directorate is in charge of the organisation and executive planning of these exercises that have already been carried out once in Mozambique.

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Greetings...hope all is well with you! This is related to my previous post on US military exercise (medical) in Angola.