Decreased peripheral health service utilisation during an outbreak of Marburg haemorrhagic fever, Uíge, Angola, 2005.
In 2005, a Marburg haemorrhagic fever (MHF) outbreak occurred in Uíge province, Angola, which had its epicentre in Uíge municipality. Concurrently, a health facility located a considerable distance from the outbreak's epicentre reported a drastic reduction in attendance, possibly due to a remote effect of the ongoing MHF outbreak. Health officials should devise strategies to ensure that communities far from a filovirus haemorrhagic fever epicentre are not adversely affected by interventions at the epicentre and, to the greatest extent possible, ensure that these peripheral communities receive essential medical care during an epidemic.
Médecins Sans Frontières-Spain, Barcelona, Spain. paul.roddy@barcelona.msf.org
P
P
Roddy
A
A
Marchiol
B
B
Jeffs
P P
PP
Palma
O
O
Bernal
O
O
de la Rosa
M
M
Borchert
D000810:Angola / Q000453:epidemiology; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006482:Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014195:Travel