Ebola in the Congo

The BBC reports nine deaths and a quarantine in effect in the Congo town of Etoumbi. The epidemic has been attributed to consumption of bushmeat, and is not the first in the region. In 2003, 120 people died in one Ebola epidemic.

Marburg Tops 300

The WHO reports a current total of 311 Marburg deaths in Angola out of 337 cases (92% mortality). On the bright side,

No cases have been reported outside Uige for the past five weeks.

Bird Flu Jumps to Pigs

Via ProMED-mail: Reuters and the AP report that an Indonesian researcher found the H5N1 strain of influenza in pigs living near infected birds.

Pigs, which are genetically similar to people, often carry the human influenza virus. Experts worry that pigs infected with both bird flu and its human equivalent could act as a ``mixing bowl,'' resulting in a more dangerous, mutant virus that might spread to people more easily - and then from person to person.

Dog Flu

Yesterday the Metro reported that dog racing at Wonderland (Boston, MA) had been shut down due to a mysterious canine epidemic. Autopsies on three dogs indicated pneumonia.

Today the CDC is on the case as well as the Boston Herald, warning locals that they and their pets may also be in danger.

Plagueblog recommends against living in close proximity to animals. Get some fish instead.

Marburg Numbers Rise

CIDRAP News reports an unexpected increase in the number of Marburg cases and deaths in Angola:

The tally yesterday stood at 313 cases, including 280 deaths, with another 208 people under observation, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Angolan health ministry announced yesterday, according to a report by Agence France-Presse (AFP). The WHO had reported 275 cases with 255 deaths as of Apr 27, which included only 9 new cases in the preceding week.

More Marburg

The AP reports a death toll of 257 in Angola's Marburg outbreak. The story also mentions the first recovery:

But while the number of fatalities had risen, Espirito-Santo said that for the first time an infected patient had recovered and was discharged from an isolation ward at the Uige provincial hospital.