Ghana has reported its first outbreak of the highly infectious Marburg virus disease this week after two unrelated patients died, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
A 26-year-old male and a 51-year-old male both died on June 27 after seeking treatment at the same hospital for symptoms of diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting, and experts from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research determined that the cause of death was the deadly Marburg virus.
What Is Marburg Virus?
A member of the Ebola family, the Marburg virus resembles Ebola in many ways. It is a viral hemorrhagic fever with a fatality ratio of up to 88 percent, according to the WHO, depending on certain strains. Marburg was initially transmitted zoonotically, meaning it is initially transmitted to people through animals. WHO clarified that the primary carrier of Marburg is African fruit bats.
Prior to the new outbreak in Ghana, the disease was detected in Guinea in West Africa, in August 2021 after a man died from the virus. Before that, Marburg had not been detected since 2008, and the last major outbreak of the virus was in Angola in 2005.
Marburg Transmission and Symptoms
Similarly to Monkeypox, which recently has seen an increase in cases all over the world, Marburg is spread through skin-to-skin contact and with materials such as bedding or clothing that have been contaminated by an infected person.
Once infected, symptoms can take two days to three weeks to appear. Initial symptoms of Marburg include a high fever, severe headache and discomfort, as well as severe watery diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping. Diarrhea can persist for a week, while nausea and vomiting can begin three days after contracting the disease. Some can also get non-itchy rashes between two and seven days after symptoms begin.
WHO has previously described those infected with the virus as looking "ghost-like," with "drawn features, deep-set eyes, expressionless faces and extreme lethargy."
The virus is also categorized by severe hemorrhaging, which can begin a week after infection. Bleeding can occur from the nose, gums and vagina in some severe cases, and blood loss and shock can be the primary cause of death typically eight and nine days after symptom onset.
Treatment and Prevention
There is no current vaccine against the Marburg virus, and WHO has stated there is currently no proven treatment. Supportive care such as rehydration with oral and intravenous fluids and treatment of specific symptoms are currently the only treatments possible.
Marburg in Ghana
WHO experts and Ghana's health authorities have collaborated to investigate the outbreak, tracing contacts and creating emergency response teams. WHO stated in a recent report that a team of experts will be deployed over the next couple of days "to provide coordination, risk assessment and infection prevention measures."
At least 90 people, including health workers and community members, who may have come in contact with the virus, have been identified and are being monitored.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said that the organization is getting ahead of the outbreak as best it can. "This is good because without immediate and decisive action, Marburg can easily get out of hand," said Moeti. "WHO is on the ground supporting health authorities and now that the outbreak is declared, we are marshaling more resources for the response."
Newsweek reached out to WHO for additional comment.
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