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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Emergency Message Message for U.S. Citizens


Emergency Message

Message for U.S. Citizens
October 22, 2012
Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever Update
On October 20, 2012, the Uganda Ministry of Health announced an outbreak of Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever in Kabale District that has resulted in five deaths.  Laboratory investigations confirmed Marburg in three cases.  The Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and international partners are investigating the cases to determine the extent of the outbreak and if additional cases are present.
Marburg Hemorrhagic Fever is a rare, severe type of hemorrhagic fever that affects both humans and non-human primates.  A person suffering from Marburg presents with sudden onset of high fever with headache, chills and body aches.  Around the fifth day after the onset of symptoms, a rash (most prominent on the chest, back, or stomach) may occur.  Nausea, vomiting, chest pain, a sore throat, abdominal pain, and diarrhea then may appear. 
Symptoms become increasingly severe and may include jaundice, inflammation of the pancreas, weight loss, delirium, shock, liver failure, massive hemorrhaging, and multi-organ dysfunction.  Marburg disease may be spread through direct contact with body fluids like saliva, urine or blood of an infected person or the body of someone who has died from the disease.  Since the virus spreads through direct contact with blood and other body secretions of an infected person, people living with and caring for Marburg patients are at a high risk of getting infected.
The U.S. Embassy has advised that all embassy members residing and traveling in southwest Uganda avoid contact with individuals exhibiting the symptoms described above until further information becomes available, and strongly recommend that private citizens do likewise.  To minimize the risk of contracting Marburg, avoid direct contact with body fluids by wearing protective materials like gloves, masks, and gowns. The CDC also recommends avoiding exposure to primates, fruit bats, and areas where fruit bats reside (caves, roosts and abandoned buildings). For more information on Marburg hemorrhagic fever, please visit the CDC website,
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/marburg/qa.htm.
U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad are encouraged to enroll in the Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Progr...