The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has confirmed the presence of two Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) cases in the Ashanti Region.

The highly infectious disease was suspected after two people in separate parts of the Ashanti Region met the case definition for an Acute Haemorrhagic Fever.

 Blood samples of the two suspected carriers of the virus were sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, where initial tests pointed to the Marburg virus as the likely cause of the infections.Â

The blood samples have since been sent to the Institute Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal for further verification with the assistance of the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to GHS' statement, "No new cases have been reported since the two samples were taken two weeks ago."

In addition, the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service has identified and quarantined 34 people who came into contact with the two confirmed cases.Â

The Directorate, with the assistance of the Ghana Health Service, is conducting additional investigations into the cases through contact tracing.Â

GHS has advised the public to be on the lookout for any of the above symptoms, and anyone experiencing any of them should immediately seek medical attention.

❗️PRESS RELEASE❗️

Ghana Records Suspected Marburg Virus Disease. pic.twitter.com/50ipeLmN2T

— Ghana Health Service Official (@_GHSofficial) July 7, 2022

About Marburg Virus

Marburg Virus Disease is a rare but severe haemorrhagic fever that affects both humans and non-human primates. It is caused by the Marburg virus. It is transmitted by infected persons or animals from direct contact with body fluids, blood and other discharges from the affected person/animal. The incubation period for the disease is two (2) to twenty-one (21) days. Treatment is symptomatic. There is currently no vaccine available.

High fever, severe headache, and general malaise are the initial symptoms of a sudden onset of illness. Within 7 days, many patients show severe signs of haemorrhage. Prior outbreaks saw fatality rates anywhere from 24% to 88%, depending on the virus type and how the outbreaks were handled.

Supportive care, including rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids and treatment of specific symptoms, improves survival despite the lack of vaccines or antiviral treatments approved for the virus. Blood products, immune therapies, and drug therapies are some of the potential treatments that are currently being researched and tested.

Seven people died in the first ever Marburg outbreak in Germany in 1967.

Extremely uncommon; the last major outbreak was in 2005 in Angola.

According to the World Health Organization, 2005's outbreak in Angola was the deadliest ever.

Prospective cases may present will:

Fever

Bloody diarrhoea,

Bleeding from gums,

Bleeding into the skin

Bleeding into eyes and

Bloody urine

Preventative measures include:

Don't touch the body fluids (like urine, saliva, sweat, faeces, vomit, breast milk, and sperm) of infected persons

Maintain good hand hygiene by regularly washing your hands with soap and water and use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Avoid touching anything that may have come into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.

Do not come into contact with dead bodies, including through funeral or burial rites, if you are in an area where Marburg has been confirmed or is suspected.

Fever (body temperature 38C or above), severe headache, fatigue (feeling very tired), muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising are all reasons to visit a doctor as soon as possible (the nearest health facility).

Source: The Independent Ghana