Marburg virus

No treatment or vaccine exists for Marburg, which can spread from infected animals such as bats.

“This is the first time Ghana has confirmed Marburg virus disease,” said the GHS head, Patrick Kuma-Aboagye. “This is good because without immediate and decisive action, Marburg can easily get out of hand. The World Health Organization declared Ghana’s first outbreak.

Marburg is a rare but severe viral haemorrhagic fever, almost as deadly as the more well-known Ebola virus disease. Case fatality rates for Marburg have varied ...

It is only the second time the highly infectious, zoonotic disease has been detected in West Africa. Guinea confirmed a single case in an outbreak that was declared over in September 2021, five weeks after the initial case was detected. West African nations know all too well what a deadly virus like Ebola can do to a region. A range of potential treatments, including blood products, immune therapies and drug therapies, as well as candidate vaccines with phase 1 data are under evaluation, the WHO said. Marburg is a rare but severe viral hemorrhagic fever, almost as deadly as the more well-known Ebola virus disease. Many patients develop severe haemorrhagic signs within seven days, according to the WHO. So far, 98 contacts have been identified in Ashanti as well as the northwestern Savannah region.

Ghana announced the country's first outbreak of Marburg virus disease after a World Health Organization laboratory confirmed earlier test results.

Fruit bats are the natural reservoir of Marburg virus. The Washington Post via Getty Images. Key Facts. Marburg is a highly infectious viral hemorrhagic fever ...

Health officials in Ghana have advised people to avoid caves and mines occupied by bats to minimize the risk of spreading the virus and to thoroughly cook meat before consumption. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that diagnosis of Marburg virus disease “can be difficult” as many signs and symptoms are similar to other infectious diseases like malaria or typhoid fever or other hemorrhagic fevers like Lassa or Ebola. It is the country’s first outbreak and only the second time the disease has been detected in West Africa. Nearly 100 people have been placed under quarantine after being identified as potential contacts.

Marburg virus killed two men in Ghana in June, touching off the West African nation's first confirmed outbreak of the highly virulent disease.

The second was a 51-year-old male who reported to the same hospital on June 28 and died that day. The first was a 26-year-old male who checked into a hospital on June 26 and died the following day. No vaccine or antiviral treatment has been approved for Marburg virus disease, though several approaches, including blood products, immune therapies, monoclonal antibodies and antivirals, are being evaluated, according to the WHO. Supportive care, especially rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids, and treatment of specific symptoms improves chances of survival. Historically, the people at highest risk include family members and hospital staff who care for patients infected with Marburg virus and haven’t used personal protective equipment or other infection prevention measures. It’s a member of the Filoviridae family of viruses which can cause severe hemorrhagic fever in people, killing up to 90% of those infected. Human cases have resulted from prolonged exposure to mines or caves inhabited by colonies of the flying mammals. Many patients develop severe bleeding, or hemorrhaging, at the end of the first week of symptoms. In the first recorded outbreak in 1967, a non-itchy rash was noted in most patients two-to-seven days after the onset of symptoms. The African fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus is considered the reservoir host, or main carrier, of Marburg virus. From the same family as the Ebola virus, Marburg caused occasional outbreaks and sporadic cases mostly in Central and Southern Africa until Guinea, in West Africa, confirmed a single, lethal case in August 2021. Males occasionally experience inflammation of one or both testicles in the third week of the disease. The latest deaths show once again how a pathogen found in fruit bats can cross the species barrier to infect humans and risk touching off a deadly scourge.

As cases are reported in Ghana, here's a look at the disease, its symptoms and ways of preventing the illness.

In women who might have been infected while pregnant, the virus may persist in the placenta and fetus. The WHO has also recommended precautionary measures in pig farms to avoid them from becoming infected through contact with fruit bats. The virus is also known to persist in some people who have recovered, and it can be found in the testicles and inside of the eye. According to the CDC, the Marburg virus disease is a severe hemorrhagic fever that is caused by the Marburg virus. Health authorities in Ghana have officially confirmed two cases of the highly infectious Marburg virus in the country, after two people after two people who later died, tested positive for the virus on July 10. In Africa, previous outbreaks have been reported in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda. Other outbreaks have also been reported in Europe and the United States.

Marburg virus, a rare but serious infectious disease, was recently detected in the West African country of Ghana for the first time, and the World Health ...

"Health authorities have responded swiftly, getting a head start preparing for a possible outbreak," said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's regional director for Africa. "This is good because without immediate and decisive action, Marburg can easily get out of hand. Currently, WHO is assisting health authorities in Ghana in a joint investigation of the country's southern region where the two cases occurred. According to the Washington Post, these two cases of Marburg in Ghana are only the second time the virus has been detected in West Africa, with the first being a case identified in Guinea last year.

Health officials in Ghana have announced that the country is facing an outbreak of Marburg virus disease, an infectious disease with a high mortality rate.

There is no specific treatment for Marburg virus disease, the CDC says. Marburg virus disease usually jumps to humans from bats via contact with bat poop or aerosols, the CDC says. “The concern is relatively low, but it’s not zero,” Dr. Russo says. Fruit bats who have Marburg virus don’t show symptoms and can pass the virus on to people and other primates. “You really need close personal contact to spread Marburg virus,” says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “It spreads even more slowly than monkeypox.” And, given all of the infectious diseases dominating headlines right now, it’s understandable to have questions.