KAMPALA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Uganda has heightened surveillance at the country's international airport and the common border with Rwanda after a Marburg virus disease outbreak has left 12 people dead in the neighboring country, a health official said Tuesday.
Daniel Kyabayinze, director of public health at the Ugandan Ministry of Health, told Xinhua over the telephone that health authorities have activated readiness and response plans at the Entebbe International Airport, about 40 km south of the Ugandan capital of Kampala, and various entry points bordering Rwanda.
Kyabayinze said the measure is to prevent the possible importation of the viral disease. Currently, no case of Marburg virus disease (MVD) has been reported within Uganda, according to the ministry. Rwanda, as of Saturday, had reported 46 confirmed cases, including 12 deaths and five recoveries.
"International health regulations do not allow us to close borders. So, what we have done is to increase our own surveillance at the airport, six designated crossing points, and unofficial crossing points between the two countries," said Kyabayinze.
He said the ministry has done an assessment for response and sent circulars to health workers to improve their personal protection and infection prevention activities to make sure they do not get caught off guard.
MVD is a highly virulent disease that causes hemorrhagic fever, with a fatality rate of up to 88 percent, according to the World Health Organization. Its symptoms include high fever, severe headaches, and malaise, typically developing within seven days of infection. ■