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LUANDA––The World Health Organization and Angola Ministry
of Health are optimistic that the worst outbreak on record of the Ebola-like
Marburg hemorrhagic fever may be close to burning itself out, after 423
known cases through June 5, 357 of them fatal, including 346 of the 412
cases that occurred in the city of Uige, where the outbreak was first
recognized.
The Uige outbreak may never be clearly traced to a source, since the first
persons exposed apparently all died before sharing details about how they
fell ill. Once either Marburg or Ebola occurs among humans, it spreads
chiefly through human contact.
Investigators are more optimistic about finding the origin of an Ebola
outbreak that struck the Cuvette-Ouest region of the Republic of Congo
in April, killing at least 10 people. The first victims were “five
hunters who became ill after emerging from the forest,” Wildlife
Conservation Society field veterinary program director William Karesh
posted to the International Society for Infectious Diseases’ ProMed
newsgroup.
“The 1st hunter died around April 25-26, and the last on May 11,”
Karesh wrote. The incubation period is about seven to 10 days, within
a range of three days to two weeks. “The infected hunters did not
admit to eating or touching any ape carcasses. They said they had eaten
elephant, and survey teams have found numerous elephant carcasses, illegally
killed, in the area. The current local belief is that the hunters died
because they went to see a witch doctor for a blessing before they went
elephant hunting, and failed to pay him. Hence, the Nganga put a curse
on them.”
Karesh said two Wildlife Conserv-ation Society teams were advancing along
survey routes south of the Mambili River to seek the source of the Ebola
outbreak.
“They will collect samples from all species of carcasses found,
as well as ape feces for genetics and development of new Ebola testing
techniques,” Karesh said.
Responded ProMed moderator Jack Woodall, “Circumstantial evidence
supports the current belief that Ebola virus reaches the human population
as a result of the hunting, slaughter, and consumption of non-human primates
and perhaps other wild mammals, which themselves may succumb to the infection.
The primary reservoir of Ebola virus has remained elusive,” Woodall
acknolwedged, “and the virus may be maintained in a species which
does not exhibit signs and symptoms of disease,” such as elephants.
Woodall first suggested that elephants might host Marburg, Ebola, or both
at the 1999 annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine
& Hygiene.
“I gave the following reasons for suspecting the elephant,”
said Woodall: “Pygmies have the highest filovirus antibody rate
in the Congo; they traditionally hunt elephants; and they poke around
in elephant feces to determine how warm the trail is.”
