MOSCOW, October 9 (RIA Novosti) - The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) intensify efforts to stop the Marburg hemorrhagic fever (MHF) from spreading in Uganda, Xinhuanet reports.
"We are providing technical expertise and financial support to ensure that messaging is directed through the mass media, social networks as well as use of Information Education and Communication materials," UNICEF Representative Aida Girma was quoted by Xinhuanet as saying Wednesday.
The agencies will provide health workers with training and will strengthen their surveillance of the community under threat. They will provide people with the right information on the disease to insure people's safety.
According to the WHO website, the Marburg virus is "the causative agent of Marburg haemorrhagic fever (MHF), a disease with a case fatality ratio of up to 88%." It was first detected in 1967. Both Marburg and Ebola viruses belong to the Filoviridae family (filovirus). They are clinically similar and can cause dramatic outbreaks. The Marburg virus is transmitted mainly from human to human after being in close contact with blood, secretions or other body fluids. Its incubation period is from 2 to 21 days.
The most recent outbreak of the Marburg fever was detected in Uganda on October 5. It left one person dead and about 109 people under monitoring, Xinhuanet reports.
