Vita Mvemba, Angola's provincial health director in Luanda is asking for international assistance as his country faces the most serious outbreak of a haemorrhagic fever ever recorded. The Marburg virus which broke out in October of last year is in the same family as the Ebola virus and has claimed the lives of 122 people in Angola which is located on the west coast of Africa.

The epidemic has so far claimed the lives of at least 7 health care workers including two foreign doctors, one Italian and the other Vietnamese. Angola health officials are stating that they do not have sufficient numbers of medical personnel including doctors to effectively fight newly emerging cases of the deadly virus. "We have not only asked the military for help, but also from around the world, national and international, in the fight against Marburg," said provincial health director Mvemba.

Mvemba also admited that the situation was being made more difficult because of a rising sense of panic within the general population and among health care professionals. During a radio interview, Mvemba stated, "Today we discussed the possibility of asking the army's medical teams for help. We are facing serious manpower shortages. We do not have a great many doctors who are able to tackle the gravity and scale of this epidemic."

The Marburg virus is a severe form of haemorrhagic fever and was first identified in 1967. The disease is spread by contact with body fluids such as blood, urine, vomit and saliva. There is no known effective treatment for the Marburg virus.