A first in the country. Two cases of Marburg virus disease, a hemorrhagic fever almost as deadly as Ebola, have been reported in Ghana, health authorities said on Sunday.
On July 8, blood samples from two people taken in the Ashanti region suggested Marburg virus and the samples were sent to the Pasteur Institute in Dakar (IDP) for confirmation, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) said.
“Additional tests carried out in IDP, Senegal, have corroborated the results,” said Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, director general of GHS, in a statement on Sunday.
Transmitted through bats
The 98 people identified as contact cases are currently in quarantine, the statement added, adding that no other Marburg cases have yet been detected among them.
Health authorities say they are doing everything possible to “protect the health of the population”, and ask for “everyone’s” cooperation so that the virus is “effectively contained”.
Marburg virus disease is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and spreads between humans through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people, or with surfaces and materials, according to the World Health Organization. (WHO).
The WHO announced in September 2021 the end of the first episode of the Marburg virus in West Africa, 42 days after the identification of a single case in Guinea.
Outbreaks and sporadic cases had been reported in the past in other parts of Africa, including South Africa, Angola, Kenya, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The illness begins suddenly, with a high fever, severe headaches, and possible malaise. Case-fatality rates have ranged from 24% to 88% in previous outbreaks, depending on the virus strain and case management, according to the WHO.
Although there are no vaccines or approved antiviral treatments to treat the virus, oral or intravenous rehydration and treatment of specific symptoms improve survival rates.
Source: BFM TV
