Posted on 04/12/2005 8:36:15 AM PDT by EBH
NAMIBIA yesterday moved swiftly to intensify its surveillance at borders because of the outbreak of the feared Marburg fever in northern Angola, stationing a medical doctor at Windhoek's international airport to handle any suspected cases.
Health Permanent Secretary Dr Kalumbi Shangula said not a single case of Marburg fever had been reported in the country, but that Government was not taking any risks.
He said an information pamphlet in English and Portuguese would be distributed to all passengers on incoming flights from Angola.
The doctor, who can speak both languages, will be stationed at the Hosea Kutako International Airport to handle enquiries about the Ebola-like fever and to tip off health authorities of any suspected cases.
"At the moment, the situation does not warrant strict measures like closing the border.> Everything is under control. We are not unduly over-reacting," said Shangula.
(Excerpt) Read more at allafrica.com ...
Ping
Pamphlets. Yes, that will stop Marburg.
Don't forget the doctor in the airport. That's a big deterrent too.
4 German Health Officials entered the plane and walked up and down the aisles for 10 minutes interviewing passengers and examining everyone onboard before they allowed the plane to pull up to the terminal.
Hopefully any flights out of these areas will be carefully screened.
Thanks for the ping. This is a completely inadequate response, because Marburg can be transmitted before any symptoms appear.
It really is frightening to think how inadequetly prepared the world really is.
Personally I don't think we'd do much better here in the US as we don't think about outbreaks of diseases like these. Can you imagine cordoning off a section of Long Island, NY?
Last week I found myself in the hospital emergency room at 12:30 in the morning. I had thought I had experience a transient ischemic stroke, I had kept enought wits about me to get to the hospital...it took them over 3 hours to get a CAT Scan! The TPA needed to be administered within the first 3 hours to have any effect, then they finally released me at 7:30am. I went straight to my doctor who contacted them and confirmed it was indeed a 'mini stroke.' He, the dr., was furious and explained to me that I had a 50% chance of a major stroke within the first 24-48 hrs. Long story short, if we can't handle something like me with reasonable due care, can you imagine someone strolling in with Marburg? The Dr. wouldn't even expect it...and americans are more mobile than the rest of the world.
First of all, I'll just tack you on to my prayer list, if you don't mind. I sure hope your doctor is taking very good care of you--and it sounds as though he is.
Secondly, I agree with you completely. I'm thinking of a Marburg-infected terrorist with initial non-bleeding symptoms calmly coming to an ER, sitting there infecting everyone in the room by coughing, sneezing, etc. Leaving Marburg on the pay phone. Using the bathroom, and leaving Marburg there...leaving it on the door handles, the admitting clerk's desk, the pen.
Getting admitted and infecting the phlebotomist taking a blood sample, the nurse starting the IV, the X-ray tech, his roommate, the housekeeping people, dietary, his roommate's visitors--what a situation! And a week later, hospital employees start getting sick, and the patient starts bleeding out...
And all those people he infected coming in contact with their friends and family and so....
Thanks for putting me on your list, but I'll be fine now, started the ole aspirin therapy. Doc doesn't know why it happened though, low blood pressure, low cholesterol, too young...if God calls me home, I get to go home! ;-).
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