Ghana has confirmed two cases of the Marburgvirus, a highly infectious disease similar to Ebola.
The two people tested positive for the virus, before later dying, but the results have now been verified by a laboratory in Senegal, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
A total of 98 people are now under quarantine rules as suspected contact cases, Ghanaian health officials said.
It is only the second outbreak of Marburg in west Africa. The first case of the virus in the region was detected last year in Guinea, with no further cases identified.
What is Marburg virus?
It is a hemorrhagic fever virus from the same family as the virus that causes Ebola.
The virus can be transmitted by exposure to mines or caves inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies, which carry the pathogen.
Once a person is infected, Marburg can spread through human-to-human transmission via direct contact with blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of these individuals, and with surfaces and materials contaminated with these fluids. It is not an airborne disease.
On average, the virus kills half those infected, says the World Health Organisation, but the most harmful strains have killed up to 88 per cent, making it one of the deadliest pathogens on the planet.
Marburg virus was first described in 1967, after being discovered that year during a set of outbreaks in the German cities of Marburg and Frankfurt and the Yugoslav capital Belgrade.
Since then, outbreaks have been reported in Kenya, South, Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. A 2005 outbreak in Angola killed more than 300 people. Only one person in Europe has died of the disease in the past 40 years.
Symptoms and illness
The incubation period for Marburg virus disease – how long it takes before symptoms emerge – varies from 2 to 21 days.
However, illness begins “abruptly”, according to the WHO, with a high fever, severe headache and malaise. Muscle aches and cramping pains are also common features.
In Ghana, the two unrelated individuals who died experienced symptoms such as diarrhoea, fever, nausea and vomiting. One case was a 26-year-old man who checked into a hospital on 26 June and died a day later. The second was a 51-year-old man who went to a hospital on 28 June and died the same day, the WHO said.
In fatal cases, death usually occurs between eight and nine days after the onset of the disease.
Treating and preventing Marburg virus disease
There are no antiviral treatments or vaccines for the infection. However, a range of drugs and immune therapies are being developed.
A patient’s chances of survival can also be improved by keeping them hydrated with oral or intravenous fluids and maintaining oxygen levels.
Gavi, an international organisation promoting vaccine access, says that people in Africa should avoid eating or handling bushmeat. Doctors and families should also be careful when dealing with the body of an infected individual, as they can remain contagious after death. (independent)
