Death toll from killer virus in Angola rises to 114

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A total of 114 people in Angola, including an Italian doctor, have died in a rare Marburg epidemic, and health officials said on Friday they feared the deadly virus could spread to Luanda.

Two people - including the doctor who had been in direct contact with Marburg patients - had died in Luanda after coming to the capital from northern Uige province to receive treatment, Filomeno Fortes, department head for disease control at the health ministry told Reuters.

A further four people in Luanda were also suspected of being infected with the killer hemorrhagic fever, which is in the same family as Ebola and for which there is no specific cure, but Fortes said all six cases in the capital had come in from Uige.

"Of the six cases we’ve had in Luanda, we’ve had two deaths until now. All six came from Uige. None of these represents a primary case from Luanda,” Fortes said.

“Our fear is that if we don’t control cases coming from Uige, there is a risk that they could infect people in Luanda,” he added.

The health ministry had sent mobile teams across Luanda to test suspect cases and to check up on people who had been in contact with identified cases, with hospital chiefs also putting in place preparatory measures in case of a local outbreak.

Health ministry spokesman Carlos Alberto, speaking to Reuters by phone from Uige, confirmed 112 people in the province about 225 km (140 miles) north of Luanda had died from Marburg but said the death toll could be even higher.

“We’ve only registered cases dealt with in hospitals but it’s possible people have also died in their homes without coming to hospital,” Alberto said.

With a health infrastructure shattered by decades of civil war, Angola is facing a monumental challenge in trying to combat the virus. The first case was detected late last year, and so far most of the victims have been children.

“We’ve already had some help from the international community but more help would be welcome. We need cleaning materials, medicines, protective clothing, that kind of thing,” Alberto said.

The Marburg virus is characterised by high fever, headaches, nausea, with vomiting and diarrhoea accompanied by blood. 

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