Uganda tourism 'not shaken' by Marburg scare

By BENON HERBERT OLUKA
Special Correspondent

Ugandan authorities have suspended tourist visits to the caves in the western Ugandan forest of Maramagambo following claims a tourist who visited the site contracted the Marburg virus.

The authorities describe it as an isolated incident that should not discourage tourists from visiting other tourist sites in the country.

"The case reported in the press is the first of its kind and is therefore isolated. We still hold our reservations till a team of experts confirm that the said tourist contracted the disease from the bats in Maramagambo," said Uganda Wildlife Authority executive director, Moses Mapesa.

UWA publicist, Lilian Nsubuga, told The EastAfrican that the sector was yet to record any immediate setbacks as a result of the latest reported case.

"According to our guide at the time, she went with four other tourists but none of the other three has the virus. In addition, she did not even enter the cave. Still it doesn't rule the fact that she might have got it from our cave, but it reduces the possibility," she said.

The Marburg virus, which causes haemorrhagic fever and bleeding, is described by medical experts as a rare but contagious syndrome that spreads through body fluids.

Mr Mapesa said the bat and python caves in Maramagambo forest had until the incident been visited by both foreign and local tourists, including school groups, for the past 10 years without any reported cases of infection to visitors or UWA staff.

The director of General Health Services in the Ministry of health ministry, Dr Sam Zaramba, said in a statement last week that he had assigned the national task force on Marburg and Ebola to undertake further investigations because caves and mines infested with bats in western Uganda could still be a reservoir for the Marburg virus.

Ongoing ecological studies have shown that about five per cent of the fruit bats in Kitaka mines in Kamwenge district harbour evidence of prior Marburg virus infestation," said Dr Zaramba.

"In Kitaka Mines for instance, 23 out of 400 bats were found to have evidence of previous infection with Marburg virus. The mine has since been closed to the public and occupational access since August 2007. No further infections have been reported."

In August last year, the Marburg virus struck three gold miners in the Kitaka mines, killing one — and subsequently led to the closure of the mines.

The Kitaka mines incident and the latest at Maramagambo have led many to conclude that bats in western Uganda's caves and mines are a reservoir for the Marburg virus.

However, Mr Mapesa argues that there are still no known natural reservoirs for both Marburg and Ebola diseases to date. He said: "There are millions of bats in Uganda and their range at night when they go
to feed is wide. This implies that there are lots of interaction between bats and humans indirectly and occasionally directly and therefore if they were Marburg carriers we would have seen an epidemic in Uganda, but this does not stop on-going investigations."

Mr Mapesa added that UWA has already taken the necessary precautionary measures to ensure the safety of all visitors to any of Uganda's other tourist sites, especially those in the western part of the country which is home to 80 per cent of the national parks in Uganda.

"The UWA veterinary team undertakes periodic wildlife disease surveillance and purposive disease search to ensure the health of wild animals and humans (tourists, visitors, staff, local communities) especially in cases of zoonoses (diseases shared between humans and animals such Ebola, Marburg, bird flu, anthrax, brucellosis, tuberculosis and others)," he explained.

"We have a very strong veterinary unit with well qualified staff, based at both headquarters and in the field including Queen Elizabeth National Park," Mr Mapesa added.

This is the second time in the past 12 months that Uganda's tourism sector is taking a hit from a viral disease outbreak. In November last year, shortly after Uganda had hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm), the country suffered an outbreak of the Ebola virus in Bundibugyo district, which killed 37 people before it was contained.

Ms Nsubuga however says Uganda's tourism sector did not suffer greatly due to the Ebola outbreak. She said: "That time of the year is usually low on tourists anyway so it is difficult to say whether Uganda's tourism took a hit."

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