Uganda finds isolated Marburg virus case, Africa CDC says

Uganda finds isolated Marburg virus case, Africa CDC says

Ugandan health authorities have confirmed an isolated case of Marburg virus disease, a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The case was detected in Kyegegwa district in western Uganda during surveillance activities conducted for an ongoing Ebola outbreak.

The confirmed case involved a 1-1/2-year-old child who died. Africa CDC spokesperson Saran Koly stated that the agency is engaging the Ugandan government through official public health channels. At this stage, we cannot confirm reports of any additional case, Koly said, adding that the Africa CDC stands ready to support risk assessment, verification, and response readiness.

Despite the confirmation from the Africa CDC, a spokesperson for Uganda's health ministry said he was not aware of a Marburg outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported it was notified of the case by Uganda on 30 June and has since informed its member states. A WHO spokesperson stated the organization is supporting the local response through active case finding, community engagement, contact tracing, and case investigation.

According to a spokesperson for the Africa CDC, Ugandan authorities report that no contacts of the child have developed symptoms, and there are currently no active Marburg cases in the East African country.

The WHO noted that Uganda has had three previous Marburg outbreaks, with the most recent occurring in 2017. The agency added that responding to Marburg requires the same steps as responding to Ebola.

This isolated Marburg case emerges while Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) struggle with a Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak declared on 15 May. The two countries have seen a combined total of at least 1,354 infections and 401 deaths. In Uganda, there have been 20 Ebola cases and two deaths.

The Ebola crisis is centered in the DRC's Ituri province, near the borders of Uganda and South Sudan. Recent data shows 26 cases and 22 deaths added in the eastern DRC provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu, and Ituri. Authorities are now tracing potential spread into previously unaffected provinces, including Haut-Uele and Tshopo.

In Tshopo, investigators are searching for individuals exposed to the body of a pregnant woman who died of Ebola in Ituri on 27 June. The body was transported roughly 186 miles by motorcycle to Kisangani before the cause of death was known.

In Haut-Uele, healthcare teams are tracing contacts after two people who had been isolated for testing in Ituri fled to the province. One of these individuals tested positive for Ebola, while the other awaited a confirmatory test before both were returned to Ituri.

The regional instability of the virus has prompted the DRC government to ban mass gatherings in its capital. UN officials say almost 3 million children in the DRC are at risk of infection. While no Ebola infections have been confirmed in South Sudan, humanitarian groups are working to prepare its health systems due to permeable borders and transient populations.

The International Medical Corps is currently supporting 80 facilities where workers have treated 314 patients, including 110 confirmed Ebola cases, and conducted more than 53,200 screenings.

Health officials noted that there is currently no vaccine to prevent Marburg infection, similar to the status of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.