Ghana confirms the first outbreak of the highly contagious Marburg virus, a highly contagious disease similar to Ebola, the health service said Sunday after two people who died later tested positive for the virus earlier this month.
Tests conducted in Ghana were positive on July 10, but the results had to be verified by a lab in Senegal, according to the World Health Organization, for the cases to be considered confirmed.
“Further tests at the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal have confirmed the results,” Ghana Health Service (GHS) said in a statement.
GHS is working to reduce any risk of spreading the virus, including the isolation of all identified contacts, who have so far developed no symptoms, it said.
This is only the second Marburg outbreak in West Africa. The first-ever case of the virus in the region was discovered in Guinea last year, with no further cases.
“(Ghanaian) health authorities have reacted quickly and got a head start in preparing for a possible outbreak. This is good, because without immediate and decisive action, Marburg can easily spiral out of control,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
The two patients in the Ashanti region of southern Ghana both had symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting, before dying in hospital, the WHO said.
There have been a dozen major Marburg outbreaks since 1967, mainly in southern and eastern Africa. According to the WHO, the death rate in previous outbreaks has ranged from 24% to 88%, depending on the virus strain and case management.
It is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and spreads to humans through direct contact with infected people’s bodily fluids, surfaces and materials, the WHO says.
@ Reuters
