Eight under surveillance over Marburg
Publish Date: Oct 06, 2014
Publish Date: Oct 06, 2014
The Ministry of Health has said a total of eight people who earlier got into contact with the Marburg confirmed case have developed signs of the disease.
This follows the death of a 30-year old health worker that was announced Sunday.
The victim had been a radiographer, or X-ray technician, at the Mpigi Health Centre IV, but was recruited two months ago for a similar position at Mengo Hospital.
When he felt ill on September 17, he traveled back to Mpigi for treatment since “he felt more confortable with a facility that he had worked with for a long time.”
Below is the full statement from the Ministry of Health:
A total of eight people who earlier got into contact with the Marburg confirmed case have developed signs of the disease.
The Ministry has taken samples from the eight suspects and are being investigated at the Uganda Virus Research Institute.
Among the suspects are four from Mpigi, two from Kasese and two from Kampala district. Preparations are underway to quarantine the suspects as a preventive measure for the spread of the disease.
To date there is only one laboratory confirmed case that has been reported in the country. This is the first case that was reported at Mengo Hospital and has since died.
The National Taskforce continues to closely monitor all people who got into contact with this confirmed case.
The surveillance team on Monday was able to list an additional 17 people who got into contact with this confirmed case.
These include 16 people from Kampala and one from Kasese. This therefore brings the total number of contacts under surveillance to 97.
The Ministry of Health with support from Medicens San Frontiers (MSF) and the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, has today trained a total of 103 health workers from Mengo Hospital.
The team was trained in Marburg prevention, treatment and control. Others were trained in sample picking and infection control. A team of experts will tomorrow be dispatched to Kagando Hospital in Kasese district to guide health workers in infection control measures.
With support from MSF, rehabilitation of the Isolation Facility at Mulago National Referral Hospital will commence tomorrow 7th October 2014 and will be ready and operational by Wednesday October 8th 2014.
The facility will in addition to the National Isolation Center in Entebbe attend to all suspect and confirmed cases in Kampala and neighboring districts. The Ministry of Health has today dispatched a total of 300 Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to Mpigi Health Center IV and Mengo Hospital.
The Government reassures the general public that the situation is under control as everything is being done to control the spread of this highly infectious disease.
Dr. Alex Opio
FOR: Director General of Health Serviceshttp://www.newvision.co.ug/news/660469-eight-under-surveillance-over-marburg.html
