Marburg virus disease (MVD), formerly known as Marburg hemorrhagic fever, has been detected in two cases in Ghana. BBC reported that the country's health service announced that the two patients tested positive for the highly infectious disease similar to Ebola earlier this month and later died.
The World Health Organization (WHO) added that tests conducted in Ghana came back positive on July 10 and were verified by a laboratory in Senegal. Currently, there are no existing treatments for the Marburg virus, but drinking plenty of water and treating specific symptoms could increase a patient's survival.
Marburg Virus in Ghana
"Further testing at the Institute Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal has corroborated the results," Reuters quoted Ghana Health Service (GHS). Health officials are working to reduce any risk of viral transmissions, such as putting 98 suspected close contacts under quarantine to prevent the risk of the virus from spreading any further.
Reuters reported that this is the second outbreak of the Marburg virus in West Africa, wherein the first ever case in the region was detected in 2021 in Guinea, with no additional cases identified.
Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said that the Ghanian health authorities have responded swiftly to the Marburg disease and started preparing for a possible disease outbreak in the country.
The two patients reportedly experienced symptoms including diarrhea, fever, as well as nausea, and vomiting before they succumbed to death in the hospital.
Since 1967, a dozen major Marburg outbreaks were recorded in southern and eastern Africa, with fatality rates varying from 24% to 88%, depending on the virus strain and case management. The Marburg virus came from fruit bats and spread to humans through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces, and materials.
Key Facts About Marburg Virus
Marburg virus causes MVD, a disease first detected in 1967 after simultaneous outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, as well as Belgrade, Serbia. According to WHO, this disease is fatal for humans with a fatality ratio of up to 88%, although it could be improved with good patient care.
This virus is clinically similar to the one that causes Ebola as they are both members of the Filoviridae family (filovirus). More so, both diseases are rare and can cause a disease outbreak.
Human MVD infection initially results from prolonged exposure to mines or caves where Rousettus aegyptiacus or fruit bat colonies live. These bats are considered the natural hosts for the Marburg virus that is then transmitted among humans through direct or close contact via broken skin or mucous membrane, surfaces, and materials, as well as burial services of deceased Marburg virus patients.
The incubation period of the virus is between two to 21 days since exposure. It could begin abruptly with high fever, headache and severe malaise, muscle aches, diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping, nausea and vomiting, and extreme lethargy.
There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved for MVD, but supportive care, such as rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids, could improve survival. Scientists are also studying monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)0 and antivirals, like Remdisivir and Favipiravir that have been used in clinical studies for Ebola Virus Disease, to see if they are also effective against MVD.
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