Ghana has confirmed its first two cases of the deadly Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola. Both patients are said to have died recently at a hospital in the Ashanti South region. Their samples tested positive earlier this month and have now been verified by a laboratory in Senegal.Health officials in the West African country said 98 people are now in quarantine as suspected contact cases.
There is no cure for Marburg yet – but doctors say drinking plenty of water and treating specific symptoms improves a patient’s chances of survival. The virus is transmitted to humans from bats and is spread between humans through the transfer of bodily fluids. It is a serious, often fatal disease with symptoms including headache, fever, muscle aches, vomiting blood and bleeding. Officials are warning people to stay away from caves and to thoroughly cook all meat products before eating.
In Africa, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda, according to the WHO. The first ever Marburg outbreak was in Germany in 1967, where seven people died. The virus killed more than 200 people in Angola in 2005, making it the deadliest epidemic on record, according to the global health body.
