Posted on 05/31/2005 12:09:14 PM PDT by 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.
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.
"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?
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
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...
Hey there...check out these...I would love your comments on the second article.
timing? hmmm
Since China is not cooperating with the rest of the world, this is unconfirmed.
Prayers going up for those soldiers. I would imagine they will be taking specimens from both animal and human population.
Interesting stuff. Thanks for posting.
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.
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.
That certainly does make this a non-non-issue.
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
Hi...WHO actually gave an update!
Nice language "no laboratory confirmed cases" -- nothing about suspected cases.
Nice language "no laboratory confirmed cases" -- nothing about suspected cases.
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.
Markburg = Marburg. Computer problems today.
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!
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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