Marburg viral outbreak contained in Uganda

Thanks to cooperative efforts from Ugandan and Kenyan authorities working with international health organizations, an outbreak of Marburg virus disease has been contained in Uganda just a few weeks after its detection.

The reversal of fortunes has been praised by the World Health Organization, who aided operations therein with a rapid response team and $623,000 of supporting funds from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE). They and their partners assisted in lab testing and surveillance, tracking new cases, as well as preventative, treatment and community engagement efforts. Kenya’s part in this cannot be downplayed, though, as the Kenyan Ministry of Health efforts at the border prevented cross-border spread of the disease.

“The response to the Marburg virus disease outbreak demonstrates how early alert and response, community engagement, strong surveillance and coordinated efforts can stop an outbreak in its tracks before it ravages communities,” Peter Salama, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said. “This was Uganda’s fifth MVD outbreak in 10 years. We need to be prepared for the next one.”

The outbreak began in October, eventually leading to the deaths of three people. Up to 316 contacts of the patients were evaluated, and a public health emergency operations center was established to deal with the crisis. It was only declared contained after the contacts of the last confirmed patient and affected districts completed 21 days of surveillance.

WHO has pledged to continue operations in both Uganda and Kenya aimed at upgrading the nations’ prevention, control, and case management capabilities.