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The disease, known as Marburg virus disease (MVD), is similar to Ebola and can be lethal in up to 90 per cent of cases.

Emergency screening has begun at the Kenya-Uganda border in Turkana after three members of the same family died of the disease in Uganda.

Health workers have been asked to work with communities to stop the deadly Marburg outbreak from devastating communities in the rural region.

Dr Zabulon Yoti, Technical Coordinator for Emergencies at the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, said: “Community engagement is the cornerstone of emergency response.”

He urged health officials to “work with the communities to build their capacity for success and sustainability” and develop a better understanding of the local customs and traditions.

The outbreak is thought to have started in September when a man in his 30s, who worked as a game hunter and lived near a cave with a heavy presence of bats, was admitted to a local health centre with a high fever, vomiting and diarrhoea.