Ghana has declared an outbreak of Marburg virus disease in the West African country. Marburg is a disease that causes a hemorrhagic fever that is as worse as Ebola.
According to health authorities in the country, blood samples from two persons in the southern Ashanti region proved that there is a presence of the Marburg virus in the country. The samples have been sent to the Pasteur Institute in Dakar for further analysis.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has also confirmed that the disease is as deadly as Ebola. Speaking on the development, the Director General of the GHS, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, said:
"Additional testing at the IDP in Senegal has confirmed the results. This is the first time that Ghana has confirmed (the presence of) the Marburg virus."
He also added that 98 persons are already on record to have contracted the Marburg virus diseases. The affected persons have been under quarantine and are being monitored closely. So far, there have not been any reports of further spread of the disease.
Health authorities in the country say they are doing everything possible to "protect the health of the population," calling for the cooperation of "all" to ensure that the virus is "effectively contained."
Experts say that the Marburg virus disease is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and is spread in humans through direct contact with the body fluids of infected people, or with surfaces and materials, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to a report, the WHO announced in September 2021 an end of the first episode of the Marburg virus in West Africa, 42 days after the identification of a case in Guinea. So, the confirmation of the disease in Ghana came as a huge surprise to health authorities and citizens of the country.
There were also reported cases of Marburg virus disease in Angola, Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, and DR Congo.
Symptoms of the deadly disease include severe headache, high fever, and eventual malaise. Case fatality rates have ranged from 24% to 88% in previous outbreaks, depending on the virus strain and case management, according to WHO.
Although there are no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments for the virus, oral or intravenous rehydration and treatment of specific symptoms improve survival rates.