Ghana: at least 100 in isolation due to Marburg virus

New virus wreaks havoc in Ghana, authorities report two cases

Health authorities in Ghana reported two cases of Marburg virus, a highly contagious disease from the same family as the virus that causes Ebola.

Preliminary tests carried out on two patients, who have since died, came back positive after the samples were transported to the Pasteur Institute in Senegal for further testing, said Dr Francis Kasolohe, representative of the World Health Organization at the Ghana.

“The two patients from the southern Ashanti region – both deceased and unrelated – showed symptoms including diarrhoea, fever, nausea and vomiting. They had been taken to a district hospital in the Ashanti region,” he said.

Marburg is transmitted to people from fruit bats and spreads between humans through bodily fluids.

No vaccine or treatments exist and those diagnosed with Marburg are usually advised to drink plenty of water as doctors treat a patient’s specific symptoms

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