On Friday, health officials led by health minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng have visited the Ugandan border town of Mutukula following a confirmed outbreak of Marburg virus disease in neighbouring Tanzania.

The team has travelled there along with World Health Organization (WHO) officials led by the organisation's representative to Uganda, Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam.

A team of epidemiologists have accompanied the team to Mutukula.

They are there to assess Uganda's level of preparedness to respond to any imported cases of Marburg from Tanzania.

Ruth Aceng, the Minister of Health and Dr Henry Kyobe, the Ministry of Health incident commander looking on during their visit to Mutukula border.

Aceng and co toured the border point in the company of the health team stationed at Mutukula.

The health minister is expected to give a comprehensive advisory report to Uganda about Marburg after assessing the neighbouring districts.

Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Uganda, Ruth Aceng the Minister of Health and other health officials inspecting Mutukula border.

Dr. Henry Kyobe, the incident commander at the health ministry, told New Vision on phone on Thursday that the ministry dispatched a team of epidemiologists to the districts of Kyotera, Masaka, Kalangala and Isingiro after the outbreak was confirmed in Tanzania.

Calling it a "rapid response team", Kyobe said they were deployed "to make a rapid assessment in relation to the outbreak of Marburg in Tanzania".

Marburg is a contact disease from body fluids of infected individuals and the control measures for the Marburg virus at a personal level are similar to those of Eloba.

Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Uganda and Ruth Aceng, the Minister of Health.

Transmission can be controlled by maintaining proper personal hygiene, maintain proper sanitation and handwashing.

About Marburg Virus Disease

(Source: WHO)

Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes hemorrhagic fever, with a fatality ratio of up to 88% and it is in the same family as the Ebola virus disease.

Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Uganda and Ruth Aceng, the Minister of Health sharing a light moment as they inspect Mutukula border.

Illness caused by the Marburg virus begins abruptly, with high fever, severe headache, and severe malaise and many patients develop severe hemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.

The virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces, and materials.

There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus. However, supportive care – rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids – and treatment of specific symptoms, improve survival.