Minster of Helath confimrs that Marburg virus is being eliminated.

Uíge: Minister of the Health affirms that Marburg is in the phase of Uíje eradication, 02/05 - the minister of the Health, Sebastião Veloso, said sunday, in the city of the Uíge, that the hemorrhagic fever of Marburg, that devastates the population has seven months, is currently in final phase, that is of its eradication. The minister said to the journalists moments after its return of plus an day of constatação and social mobilization that took it to the locality of the Gombe, city of the Bungo, seventy quilómetros of the city of the Uíge. In this locality 17 cases had been registados, being 14 members of one alone family. Sebastião Veloso disclosed that the illness currently is confined in the province of the Uíge. "We obtain to confine the illness in the province of the Uíge and it is in the second phase of the same one, affirmed, advancing that the cases are to registar a significant reduction and assist between zero the two cases days". With the control exerted for its combat, the illness is confined in the Uíge. It announced the social mobilization and control of corpses for the cut of the basic chain of transmission as measured of this phase of eradication of the illness, and "when to declare its eradication it means that case does not exist plus none". Interrogated if briefly the eradication of the illness will be able to be declared, emphasized to be impossible to determine the time for some factors, mainly the existence of presumable still unknown stock markets for the sanitary authorities. Urged to evaluate the situation of the hemorrhagic fever the level of the country, affirmed that the cases that had in Cabinda, Malanje and Kwanza-North are of proveniência of the Uíge.

I'm going to post a note I found on the internet, and I'll give a link to it, so FReepers can judge the credibility or not for themselves. I thought it was interesting, but since I know so little about Angola, I couldn't evaluate it:

Here goes: Saturday, April 30, 2005 MURDER BY MARBURG ??

During my 71 years on this earth,I've seen the "unthinkable" become almost commonplace: wars ,bombings of civilian populations,famines,and genocide: lots and lots of genocide .

In Angola,a growing body of evidence suggests the recent lethal outbreak of Marburg (an Ebola - like disease) may have been triggered - deliberately and cold-bloodedly- by injecting children with vaccine,contaminated by this killer virus.

I had recently exchanged correspondence with a noted virologist;suggesting the disease might have been brought home to the infected children by diamond miners,who had been exposed to meat or excrement from infected monkeys,but my correspondent pointed something out:

Most of the 95 persons first infected were children under the age of 5; and most of this group were under the age of 1.

None of the mothers of these children was infected before the children got sick.

This suggests,very strongly, All of those infected had been infected as a result of immunization shots of some sort.

This was why my correspondent thought contaminated needles might have been in use,but the question remains: Where did the contamination come from ?

The last Marburg eruption in this area was at least 3 years ago,and involved a group of 60 "independent" gold miners,who had been working in a cave...without government sanction.That outbreak was thought odd,and has never really been explained.

Marburg virus can live in blood samples for 3-4 weeks,but there is no literature to suggest it can survive 3-4 years - unless deliberately cultured,and kept as a living specimen.

Why would anyone deliberately inject lethal virus into children ? Let's look at the Angola political situation again.

In the extreme north is a province called Cabinda. Cabinda is separated from the rest of Angola by the Congo (DPRC) in much the same way Alaska is separated from the United States by Canada. Call it an "accident of colonization" if you will.

Cabinda-separated or not-is endowed with huge deposits of "sweet" low-sulphur oil that is being sold to several countries by large petro-consortiums.(Texaco is one.)

Angola has mismanaged its other mineral wealth (diamonds,gold,iron,copper,bauxite,phosphates,feldspar,and uranium) and desperately needs to hang on to Cabinda.

Enter the Rebels: Two organizations, FLEC and FAC, both of which support independence for Cabinda,have recently joined forces,and have been conducting guerilla operations inside Angola-especially near Uige Province,where diamonds are available,the population is dirt-poor,and dislike of the "strong" (Stalinist might be a better term) Angolan government is high.

Infecting the children of this rebellious population would cause enormous fear:motivating many of the tribes to flee the area.It would also have the cold-blooded advantage of infecting upwards; ie: when children are sick,they require adult care,and Marburg - like Ebola - is notorious for infecting family members and other care-givers.

If this is what has happened here,we are looking at genocide - once again

Some comments by Angolans have reflected same:
http://www.angonoticias.com/full_headlines.php?id=5046
Comments at bottom:

Anónimo Triste ate agora nem primeiro ministro nem Presidente não falaram nada sobre a epideme o que se passa com eles? por ser norte ja os governantes não tem palavras? SEPERATISTAS.

(google translate)

Anonymous - Sad now ties nor prime minister nor President had not said nothing on epideme what it is transferred with them? for being north ja the governing does not have words? SEPERATISTAS.

I guess I'm just naturally very dubious of government conspiracy claims, especially w/ regard to diseases. For example a major outbreak in Cabinda at the same time as Uige would be more suspicious.

With regard to immunizations, it could just be that the re-use of needles (apparently still common in Africa despite HIV) from one infected child or adult helped spread the disase, as opposed to anything deliberate on the part of the government. As the WHO report noted, the practices at the Uige hospital appear to be worse than incompetent, even in the midst of a Marburg outbreak.

I think we'll have a better handle by this Friday as to what is going on--the Health Ministry can only control so much information. You can only say something is contained for so long without being able to back it up.

Cheers

T

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