Eight Ugandans who earlier had contact with a confirmed case of Marburg have developed signs of the Ebola-like disease, the Ministry of Health said Monday.
"The Ministry of Health has taken samples from the eight suspects and are investigating them at the Uganda Virus Research Institute," said a statement from the ministry, adding that preparations are underway to quarantine the suspects as a preventive measure against the spread of the disease.
There are altogether 80 cases that are under surveillance in Uganda, all of whom had been in contact with a health worker who died this weekend of the deadly disease. The man is by far the only laboratory-confirmed case of Marburg in Uganda.
The ministry said it has trained over 100 health workers in the prevention, treatment and control of the disease.
The Marburg virus was last reported in Uganda in 2012. According to the World Health Organization, Marburg is a severe and highly fatal disease that begins abruptly, with severe headache and malaise. The virus of Marburg comes from the same virus family as Ebola.