The World Health Organization (WHO) continues to monitor the situation closely, having previously issued alerts during a 2023 Marburg outbreak in several African countries. The fatality rate of over 88% associated with the virus underscores the critical nature of the threat it poses. Health advisories stress the importance of vigilance and preventive measures to curb the spread of this and other similar viruses.
The highly virulent microbe causes severe fever, often accompanied by bleeding and organ failure. It is part of the so-called filovirus family that includes Ebola haemorrhagic fever, which has caused several deadly epidemics in western and central Africa.
The figures are a provisional toll based on lab-confirmed tests as of April 21, it said in an update, adding that 116 people were currently being monitored as contact risks. The first known deaths were documented on January 7 in the eastern province of Kie-Ntem before the outbreak spread to Bata, the West African nation's economic capital.
Disease is passed on to people from fruit bats and is from the same virus family responsible for the deadly Ebola. Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania are facing outbreaks of the Marburg virus, a highly infectious and deadly disease similar to Ebola, the World Health Organization (WHO) said earlier.
Our public health laboratory results have confirmed that this disease is caused by Marburg virus, Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said, urging citizens to remain calm as the government has managed to control the spread of the disease.
The Marburg virus is a rare but highly dangerous pathogen that causes severe fever, often accompanied by bleeding and organ failure. It is part of the so-called filovirus family that also includes the Ebola virus, which has wreaked havoc in several previous outbreaks in Africa.
Marburg virus is a highly dangerous pathogen that can cause severe fever, often accompanied by bleeding and organ failure, leading to a fatal illness in infected humans. Marburg virus disease, much like any other highly virulent infectious disease, can be managed only through a range of interventions, namely case management, surveillance and contact tracing, a good laboratory service, safe and dignified burials, and social mobilisation.
No vaccine treatment exists for Marburg, which is almost as deadly as Ebola. Symptoms included high fever as well as internal and external bleeding. Ghana's cases were the first detected in West Africa.
Although there are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus, supportive care -- rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids -- and treatment of specific symptoms improves survival, the WHO said.
Africa experiences over 100 health emergencies per year, more than any other region in the world, according to the WHO. Kenya will become a regional hub for medical equipment, which will help neighbouring countries get required medicines faster.
Preliminary findings from blood samples for the two cases suggest Marburg virus and the samples have been sent to the Institut Pasteur de Dakar research centre in Senegal for confirmation, Ghana Health Service said.
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