Viral haemorrhagic fever

Two outbreaks of haemorrhagic fever caused by a Marburg-like virus occurred in the Sudan and Zaire from August to November 1976. The inital epidemiological investigations and emergency control measures were carried out by Sudanese and Zairian health personnel and several of them unfortunately died in the course of their duties. In view of the unusual gravity of the outbreaks and the unknown nature of the agent, assistance was provided by a WHO team in the Sudan and a multinational team in Zaire. A consultation arranged by WHO was held at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in January 1977 to review the experience acquired during these outbreaks and to make recommendations which, to a large extent, may be applicable to other outbreaks of suspected viral haemorrhagic fever. Because it is felt that this information would be of value to many health administrations, large abstracts of the report of this consultation are given here.