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"Whole families have died. This is very traumatic for the local population," she said.

It is also being reported that this could develop into a long term problem.

Uige - There is no end in sight to the outbreak of the Marburg virus in Angola, a top expert from the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday, citing "massive problems" in mobilising Angolans to fight the Ebola-like bug in this northern city.

"After four weeks, this epidemic is still peaking," said Pierre Formenty, the WHO's top specialist on new and dangerous diseases. "It has not been stopped, because we have massive problems in mobilising the community against it," he told AFP as the death toll from the deadly haemorrhagic fever hit 210.

The present outbreak of Marburg haemorrhagic fever is unprecedented in its size and urban nature, and its dimensions are still unfolding. Although surveillance to detect cases has improved, it remains patchy.

In Uige, where daily mobile teams are active, surveillance continues to be largely concentrated on the investigation of deaths and collection of bodies. The security of teams remains a concern. More vehicles are needed and WHO is making the necessary arrangements on an urgent basis.

Officials also say that the next few weeks are critical and if the outbreak is not contained it could become a long-term problem.

Earlier reports included increases in reported cases in Luanda, but these reports appear to lag the true situations on the ground.  Unconfirmed, but not unexpected reports, indicate a significant increase in confirmed and suspected cases in the Americo Boavida isolation ward, as well as spread to at least one province not currently listed among the provinces with reported cases.


The recent report of a large familial cluster of Marburg hemorrhagic fever demonstrates relatively efficient transmission among close contacts.  The above warning makes note of potential unsafe conditions in hospitals, where there have been at least 17 fatal infections in health care workers.

The length of the epidemic "really depends on the degree of the mobilisation by the Angolans, of the people itself, not only on the authorities... They don't realise that it could take months", Formenty said in an interview.

A welcome development is the decision by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to strengthen its presence in Uige. Volunteers from these societies are part of a group of workers mobilized to conduct a door-to-door public information and education campaign in collaboration with community and church leaders and traditional healers.

Facts About Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever

Marburg hemorrhagic fever is a rare but extremely lethal disease caused by a virus from the same family as Ebola.

Symptoms of Marburg hemorrhagic fever and Ebola hemorrhagic fever are virtually indistinguishable.

It is possible to become infected with the Marburg virus but not get sick. Scientists don't know what proportion of people who get infected become ill, but the chances of dying from the disease once it develops is usually higher than 90 percent.

There is no vaccine or treatment. Scientists don't know where the virus comes from or exactly how it gets into humans, but people who have handled infected monkeys have contracted the virus.

The first outbreaks occurred in 1967, in Germany and the former Yugoslavia, and were linked to lab work involving African green monkeys imported from Uganda. Subsequent cases have been recorded in Africa.

The virus is spread only by extremely close contact with body fluids. Certain burial practices are common routes of infection.

It cannot be spread during the incubation period, which lasts from three to nine days.

Illness begins abruptly, usually with a high fever, followed by progressive and rapid debilitation. Severe watery diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting begin about the third day. Many patients have severe bleeding after five or seven days.

Fatal cases usually involve bleeding, often from multiple sites such as the nose, gums and vagina. Death occurs usually after eight or nine days, usually after severe blood loss and shock.