title: Organisation of health care during an outbreak of Marburg haemorrhagic fever in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 1999.
abstract: Organising health care was one of the tasks of the International Scientific and Technical Committee during the 1998-1999 outbreak in Durba/Watsa, in the north-eastern province (Province Orientale), Democratic Republic of Congo. With the logistical support of Médecins sans Frontières (MSF), two isolation units were created: one at the Durba Reference Health Centre and the other at the Okimo Hospital in Watsa. Between May 6th, the day the isolation unit was installed and May 19th, 15 patients were admitted to the Durba Health Centre. In only four of them were the diagnosis of Marburg haemorrhagic fever (MHF) confirmed by laboratory examination. Protective equipment was distributed to health care workers and family members caring for patients. Information about MHF, modes of transmission and the use of barrier nursing techniques was provided to health care workers and sterilisation procedures were reviewed. In contrast to Ebola outbreaks, there was little panic among health care workers and the general public in Durba and all health services remained operational.
authors.affiliation: Médecins sans Frontières, Dupréstraat 94, B-1090 Brussel, Belgium. bcoleb@itg.be
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Colebunders
authors.forename: Hilde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sleurs
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pirard
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Borchert
authors.forename: Modeste
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Libande
authors.forename: Jean Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Mustin
authors.forename: Antoine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tshomba
authors.forename: Léon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kinuani
authors.forename: Loku Abisa
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Olinda
authors.forename: Florimond
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tshioko
authors.forename: Jean-Jacques
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Muyembe-Tamfum
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D015023:Democratic Republic of the Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D006801:Humans; D008379:Marburg Virus Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D029024:Marburgvirus / Q000254:growth & development*; D010356:Patient Isolation / Q000379:methods