The Angolan Ministry of Health has declared that the death toll from the epidemic of Marburg hemorrhagic fever has jumped to 233. A total 255 cases have been recorded until Saturday. The health ministry issued a press release stating that all the reported cases of the Ebola-like disease had originated in the northwestern province of Uige. However, reports of death is still pouring in from other parts such as Luanda, Zaire, Malange, Kuangza Norte, Kuanza South and Cabinda provinces. The World Health Organization, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Doctors Without Borders are having a tough time in bringing the situation under control. They have deployed teams in Uige to combat the spread of the deadly virus. Marburg is spread through contact with bodily fluids. Marburg has been proving fatal, and there is no vaccine against it. This is not the first Marburg breaksout in this region. In the previous outbreak of Marburg, 123 people were killed in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo between 1998 and 2000, official records show

As the death toll in northwestern Angola rises to 180, The World Health Organization continues their investigation of the hemorrhagic fever outbreak plaguing the area and Angolans at risk begin lash out on health workers. As of Thursday, 205 cases of the Marburg hemorrhagic fever have been reported, 180 of which have died. The Zaire province is the most recent of the seven reportedly seeing an outbreak amongst residents. The virus is in the same family as the Ebola virus and spreads through blood and body fluid contact, making it very dangerous and lethal in human beings. In this case -- only the second natural outbreak of the virus -- there is evidence it has been amplified through ineffective containment in hospitals. The WHO reported that the first large outbreak under natural conditions of this kind was in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 1998-2000. Mobile surveillance teams in Uige were forced to suspend operations Thursday when vehicles were attacked and damaged by residents. In addition, organization staff in Uige were notified Friday of several workers' fatalities, but teams were unable to investigate the causes of death or collect the bodies for burial. A WHO worker in Angola reported that health workers had been killed by residents who believed the workers were exposing them to the virus. The WHO is currently discussing ways "to find urgent solutions" with authorities in Angola. The WHO launched an appeal Friday for $2.4 million to support emergency response to the outbreak. They have also established an international network of laboratories to help in the investigation of this and other viral hemorrhagic fevers. They include two portable field laboratories in Angola. The major goal of the WHO is to determine where the Marburg virus hides in nature between outbreaks. Current studies of the virus in Angola offers vital clues

Luanda, Angola- According to the World Health Organization an outbreak of deadly Marburg virus in Angola has now reached 157 cases. The outbreak is expected to affect even more people in the coming days. Health organizations from around the world are rushing aide to the war-ravaged country. A team of six experts from the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, has arrived in Angola to help control the outbreak, the statement said. Marburg is a rare, severe form of hemorrhagic fever closely related to the Ebola virus. After staying dormant in the body for five to 21 days, the disease comes on suddenly with symptoms including fever, chills, headache and muscular pain or tenderness. In both diseases, victims bleed to death, often from every orifice and every organ. Symptoms become increasingly severe and may include jaundice, inflammation of the pancreas, severe weight loss, delirium, shock, liver failure and multi-organ dysfunction. Many of the symptoms of Marburg are similar to those of other infectious diseases, such as malaria or typhoid fever, diagnosing the disease can be difficult. There is no specific treatment for Marburg. But health experts recommend that patients be hospitalized in order to have their electrolytes and fluids balanced, their oxygen intake and blood pressure maintained, and any lost blood and clotting factors replaced. Marburg was first recognized in 1967, when outbreaks occurred simultaneously in laboratories in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, and in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Almost all the Angola deaths have occurred in the northern province of Uige, on the border with Congo

According to the World Health Organization an outbreak of deadly Marburg virus in Angola has sickened 140 people, killing 132. The outbreak is expected to affect even more people in the coming days. Health organizations from around the world are rushing aide to the war-ravaged country. Marburg is a rare, severe form of hemorrhagic fever closely related to the Ebola virus. After staying dormant in the body for five to 21 days, the disease comes on suddenly with symptoms including fever, chills, headache and muscular pain or tenderness. In both diseases, victims bleed to death, often from every orifice and every organ. Symptoms become increasingly severe and may include jaundice, inflammation of the pancreas, severe weight loss, delirium, shock, liver failure and multi-organ dysfunction. Many of the symptoms of Marburg are similar to those of other infectious diseases, such as malaria or typhoid fever, diagnosing the disease can be difficult. There is no specific treatment for Marburg. But health experts recommend that patients be hospitalized in order to have their electrolytes and fluids balanced, their oxygen intake and blood pressure maintained, and any lost blood and clotting factors replaced. Marburg was first recognized in 1967, when outbreaks occurred simultaneously in laboratories in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, and in Belgrade, Yugoslavia

Marburg virus has claimed at least 126 lives in Angola, hospital officials said Monday. The World Heath Organization said three-quarters of the virus victims have been children. The Marburg disease is a viral infection originated from the green monkey, which clinically manifested by a hemorrhagic fever syndrome, the Deputy Health Minister Jose Van-Dunem told a press conference. The transmission occurs through the contact with animals, infected human beings or through the semen during unprotected sex, as well as by way of body fluids handling. Strong headaches, muscle pains, fever, vomits and diarrhea, among others, are the first symptoms of the disease, and after seven days patients can present hemorrhage through vomits, through the vagina, skin and eyes