The Marburg virus has a lethality rate of at least 24 percent.
kca.
West African Ghana has officially confirmed two cases of the Marburg virus. The virus is a highly contagious disease, similar to the Ebola virus. Ghana’s National Health Service said the two people who had previously tested positive for the virus passed away on Sunday. Since the virus samples taken on July 10 had to be sent to Dakar, the capital of Senegal, for confirmation due to a lack of their own resources, the outbreak could only be detected with a delay, the authorities in the capital Accra said.
Attempts are currently being made to limit the local outbreak as much as possible. At least 98 people are in isolation, according to local information. There is currently no information about infected people.
Health services in Ghana recommend that people in contact drink plenty of water and treat specific symptoms to improve their chances of survival. The virus is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and spreads between humans through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals, surfaces, and materials.
So far no treatment against the virus
The new outbreak is only the second Marburg outbreak in West Africa. The first-ever case of the virus in the region was detected in Guinea last year, with no other cases identified. According to the WHO, there had previously been local outbreaks in Africa, for example in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda. The worst outbreak to date occurred in Angola in 2005. The health authorities then confirmed at least 200 fatalities. The first known outbreak of the Marburg virus was confirmed in Germany in 1967, seven people died.
Marburg is a serious, often fatal disease with symptoms such as headache, fever, muscle pain, vomiting blood and bleeding. Health authorities in Ghana have urged people to stay away from caves and to thoroughly cook all meat products before consumption. There is currently no treatment for the Marburg virus. The disease is very high with a fatality rate of 24 to 88 percent.