Ghana, in West Africa, faces the first outbreak of the disease caused by the Marburg virus . The cases were confirmed by a laboratory at the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center.
According to the WHO, the Pasteur Institute in Dakar, Senegal, received samples from the two patients in the southern Ashanti region. The individuals, who presented symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting, did not resist and died due to the infection. The suspicion had first been raised by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.
One was a 26-year-old man who was admitted to a hospital on June 26 and died the next day. The second case was a 51-year-old man who was seen in hospital on June 28 and died on the same day. The cases were not related. Patients sought treatment at the same hospital.
More than 90 contacts, including healthcare workers and community members, have been identified and are being monitored.
What is Marburg Disease
Marburg is a hemorrhagic fever, caused by a highly infectious virus from the same family as the better-known Ebola virus disease.
The virus is transmitted to people by fruit-eating bats and spreads between humans through direct contact with contaminated body fluids, surfaces and materials. The illness, which starts abruptly, presents with a high fever, severe headache and malaise. Patients develop severe bleeding signs within seven days.
Case fatality rates have ranged from 24% to 88% in previous outbreaks, depending on the virus strain and case management capacity. While there are no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments to treat the virus, supportive care — such as rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids — and treating specific symptoms reduces the risk of death.
Several potential treatments, including blood products, immune and drug therapies, as well as vaccine candidates with phase 1 data, are being evaluated.
Incidence
According to the WHO, this is the second time the disease has been detected in West Africa. Guinea confirmed a single case in an outbreak that was declared over on 16 September 2021, five weeks after the initial case was detected.
Previous outbreaks and sporadic cases of Marburg in Africa have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda. The WHO said it has contacted neighboring high-risk countries and that they are on alert.
WHO supports a joint national investigation team in the Ashanti region as well as the Ghanaian health authorities. Specialists and personal protective equipment were sent, reinforcing disease surveillance. Support includes testing, contact tracing and community awareness work.
In the coming days, a team of WHO experts will be deployed to provide coordination, risk assessment and infection prevention measures.
“Health officials responded quickly, starting to prepare for a possible outbreak. That’s a good thing because without immediate and decisive action, Marburg can easily spiral out of control. WHO is on the ground supporting health authorities and now that the outbreak has been declared, we are mobilizing more resources for the response,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, in a statement.
Source: CNN Brasil
