27/04/05

Traditional healers ‘helping Marburg virus spread’

Marburg virus Copyright: CDC/Russell Regnery

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Researchers trying to battle the outbreak of deadly Marburg virus in Angola claim that traditional healers’ practices could be helping the virus spread.


They believe that healers are re-using syringes and needles to inject patients. This, say the researchers, could explain why the virus is still killing an average of three people a day, one month after the outbreak was identified.


World Health Organization representatives in Angola have launched a campaign to raise awareness of the risk of re-using needles. They are asking people to avoid injections from healers and come to hospitals for them instead.


The outbreak of Marburg virus, which is fatal for about 90 per cent of those infected, has killed at least 244 people in Angola.

Link to full International Herald Tribune news story