It has been established that Ghana has two highly contagious Marburg Virus cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Sunday.
The news comes after two unrelated patients from the southern Ashanti region of Ghana tested positive for the virus and later died; the patients showed vomiting, diarrhoea, nausea, and fever. More than 90 infected are being monitored, WHO said.
Marburg is a highly contagious viral hemorrhagic fever in the same family as the better-known Ebola virus disease, and its fatality ratio is up to 88%, according to WHO. “Illness begins abruptly, with high fever, severe headache, and malaise,” it stated.
The virus is transferred to humans from fruit bats. It can then be spread human-to-human via direct connection with the bodily liquids of infected people or surfaces and materials contaminated with these fluids, as explained.
In other parts of Africa, previous outbreaks have been reported in South Africa, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and Angola. 2005 which was the most fatal, with over 200 people killed.
Countries at higher risk of a resurrection of the virus have been contacted “, and they are on alert.”—WHO says.
