An outbreak of disease caused by Marburg virus has been reported in western Uganda, a development that, if confirmed, could further complicate the effort to contain what is already the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record in Central Africa. Both diseases are viral hemorrhagic fevers.
The Ugandan government has not yet publicly disclosed a Marburg outbreak. But the U.S. embassy in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, issued a health alert on Monday, saying it had been made aware of a possible case of Marburg in the country. The alert was a level 4 advisory alerting Americans they should not travel to Uganda.
A well-placed source — who answered questions from STAT on the proviso that their name and place of work would not be identified — confirmed that Uganda has detected two cases of Marburg in a family. The source said the outbreak appears at this time to be localized.
STAT has reached out to Uganda’s health ministry for comment but has not yet received a reply.
Nahid Bhadelia, director of Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, suggested the U.S. embassy’s alert may have been an attempt to force the country to publicly acknowledge something that has been likely known for some days.
