Ghana announced its first outbreak of Marburg virus disease, similar to the one ebolaannounced this Sunday World Health Organization (WHO).
Pasteur Institute in Dakar received samples from two patients from the Ashanti region of Ghana (south), both deceased and unrelated, who had symptoms including diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting.
Senegalese laboratory confirms recent results Accra Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Researchwhich suggested that his illness was caused by the Marburg virus.
In the first case, a 26-year-old man was admitted to hospital on June 26 and died the next day.
The second corresponds to a 51-year-old man who appeared at the hospital on June 28 and died the same day.
“Health authorities have responded quickly in anticipation of preparing for a possible outbreak. This is good because without immediate and decisive action, Marburg (the virus) could easily spiral out of control,” WHO Africa Director Matshidiso Moeti said in a statement.
” WHO supports local health authorities, and now that the outbreak has been declared, we are gathering more resources to respond,” Moeti added.
More than 90 contacts have been identified and are being monitored, including healthcare workers and members of the affected community in Ashanti.
marburg virus
Marburg is a highly contagious viral haemorrhagic fever in the same family as the better known Ebola virus disease.
This is only the second time that this zoonotic disease has been identified in West Africaafter Guinea-Conakry confirmed one case of the outbreak, which was declared over on September 16, 2021, five weeks after the initial infection was reported.
In the past, outbreaks and sporadic cases of this disease have been identified in other African countries such as Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa D Uganda.
WHO contacted high-risk neighboring countries Ghana and they are alert.
Illness for marburg virus It is as deadly as Ebola and it is estimated that more than 3,500 people have died in Africa.
Like Ebola, Marburg virus causes sudden bleeding and can lead to death within days, with an incubation period of 2 to 21 days and a case fatality rate of 24 to 88%.
Fruit bats are natural hosts for this virus, which, when transmitted to humans, can be spread through direct contact with fluids such as blood, saliva, vomit or urine.
The disease, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment, was discovered in 1967 in the German city of Marburg (hence the name) by laboratory assistants who became infected while studying monkeys brought from the United States.win.
(As reported by EFE)
Source: RPP
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