Post by Tulameen on Mar 28, 2005 11:48:13 GMT -5
Yet another disease that jumps from animals to people - but only after people work with it in a laboratory. Hmmmmm......
The virus was first identified in 1967 among laboratory workers in Europe who had been working with monkeys.
From BBC News:
The toll from the Ebola-like Marburg virus in Angola has risen to 122, after a baby died in the northern town of Uige, a government spokesman said.
The virus, which first broke out in Uige province last October, has now spread to the capital, Luanda.
A health minister described the situation as "critical".
Angola has sought to allay fears over the spread of the virus, saying there was no need for people to leave the country or cancel plans to visit.
The South African-based Netcare Travel Clinic said travellers should stay away from Angola for at least a week.
However, Deputy Health Minister Jose van Dumen told the BBC that the situation had improved with the arrival of international medical aid.
Child victims
The Marburg virus causes fever, vomiting and bleeding.
Health ministry spokesman Carlos Alberto told the AFP news agency the baby's 19-year-old mother died on Sunday morning.
"This is extremely serious - strong preventative measures are needed to contain this outbreak of Marburg disease, " he said earlier.
The number of people hospitalised with the virus has also risen by five to 132, including a Portuguese citizen and a 12-year-old girl in Luanda.
The outbreak is now approaching the most serious recorded, when 123 people died in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1998 and 2000.
UN and aid agency officials are working with the Angolan government to contain the virus.
A pregnant woman was reportedly its first victim in the country's northern Cabinda province on Saturday, having travelled there from Uige.
The virus was first identified in 1967 among laboratory workers in Europe who had been working with monkeys.
According to the World Heath Organization (WHO), three-quarters of the virus' victims have been children.
The European Union announced last week that it would give $650,000 (£348,000) to fight the disease.
Its early stages are marked by diarrhoea, stomach pains, nausea and vomiting. As it develops, patients can experience chest pains, severe internal bleeding and eventually, death.
Story from BBC NEWS:
news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4386805.stm
Published: 2005/03/28 10:29:00 GMT
The virus was first identified in 1967 among laboratory workers in Europe who had been working with monkeys.
From BBC News:
The toll from the Ebola-like Marburg virus in Angola has risen to 122, after a baby died in the northern town of Uige, a government spokesman said.
The virus, which first broke out in Uige province last October, has now spread to the capital, Luanda.
A health minister described the situation as "critical".
Angola has sought to allay fears over the spread of the virus, saying there was no need for people to leave the country or cancel plans to visit.
The South African-based Netcare Travel Clinic said travellers should stay away from Angola for at least a week.
However, Deputy Health Minister Jose van Dumen told the BBC that the situation had improved with the arrival of international medical aid.
Child victims
The Marburg virus causes fever, vomiting and bleeding.
Health ministry spokesman Carlos Alberto told the AFP news agency the baby's 19-year-old mother died on Sunday morning.
"This is extremely serious - strong preventative measures are needed to contain this outbreak of Marburg disease, " he said earlier.
The number of people hospitalised with the virus has also risen by five to 132, including a Portuguese citizen and a 12-year-old girl in Luanda.
The outbreak is now approaching the most serious recorded, when 123 people died in the Democratic Republic of Congo between 1998 and 2000.
UN and aid agency officials are working with the Angolan government to contain the virus.
A pregnant woman was reportedly its first victim in the country's northern Cabinda province on Saturday, having travelled there from Uige.
The virus was first identified in 1967 among laboratory workers in Europe who had been working with monkeys.
According to the World Heath Organization (WHO), three-quarters of the virus' victims have been children.
The European Union announced last week that it would give $650,000 (£348,000) to fight the disease.
Its early stages are marked by diarrhoea, stomach pains, nausea and vomiting. As it develops, patients can experience chest pains, severe internal bleeding and eventually, death.
Story from BBC NEWS:
news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4386805.stm
Published: 2005/03/28 10:29:00 GMT