Ghana reports two suspected cases of Marburg virus

Ghana has reported two suspected cases of Marburg virus as the fear of possible outbreak heightened, the BBC reports.

Marburg virus is a highly infectious disease in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola.

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Marburg is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads between humans through bodily fluids.

There is currently no vaccine or treatment for the disease. Those diagnosed with Marburg are usually advised to drink plenty of water as doctors treat a patient’s specific symptoms.

Previous outbreaks and sporadic cases of Marburg in Africa had been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.

Preliminary tests done in the country on two dead patients returned positive for the virus.

But Dr Francis Kasolohe, the World Health Organization’s representative in Ghana, said the samples had been taken to the Institut Pasteur in Senegal for further tests.

“The two patients from the southern Ashanti region – both deceased and unrelated – showed symptoms including diarrhoea, fever, nausea and vomiting. They had been taken to a district hospital in the Ashanti region,” he said.

However, the WHO said it had deployed a team of experts to the area to support Ghanaian health workers and prepare for a possible outbreak.