Marburg spreads but Angola isolation ward empty

A 400-bed isolation ward set up at the epicenter of a deadly outbreak of Marburg disease in Angola is empty, shunned by families loath to surrender infected loved ones, the World Health Organization said Friday.

The U.N. agency said that as an emergency measure to stem the spread of the hemorrhagic fever, it may distribute disinfectants to relatives refusing to send patients to its facility in the northern province of Uige.

The outbreak, which began last October, has killed 215 of 235 known victims of the Ebola-like disease, which is transmitted through bodily fluids including saliva and blood.

Uige remains the most severely affected area with 208 cases and 194 deaths, according to a WHO statement issued overnight.

"The isolation ward at the province's large 400-bed hospital, which has been specially equipped and staffed for the care of Marburg patients, is empty, despite the fact that cases and deaths are known to be occurring in the community," it said.

"It is apparent that, for the time being, the community does not accept the (concept) of isolation," it added.

The Geneva-based WHO also said that four volunteers from the Angolan Red Cross, freshly trained in teaching communities about preventing the disease, were killed by lightning while on their way to work Thursday.