AlHijjah 3, 1433, Oct 19, 2012, SPA -- At least three people died of a Marburg virus outbreak in a south-western village of Uganda, the country's health officials said Friday, only two weeks after they declared the country Ebola-free, according to dpa. Four other people had seemingly died of the Ebola-like disease since October 4, the ministry said in a statement. The outbreak of the highly contagious disease, which is usually accompanied by hemorrhagic fever, occurred among members of the same family in Kabale district bordering Rwanda. Marburg virus victims suffer sudden onsets of fever, vomiting, joint pains, headache and internal bleeding. Both Marburg and Ebola spread through direct contact with wounds, saliva, urine or sweat of an infected person or animal. The government has warned the public to avoid public gatherings. An Ebola epidemic hit villages in western Uganda early July, leaving 17 people dead, but health officials in early October declared it was over.
