The British newspaper, “Daily Mail”, warned of the emergence of one of the most deadly diseases in the world in Africa, following the death of two patients with the Marburg virus, which causes 90% of patients to bleed to death from the nose, mouth and eyes.
Marburg virus analysis
The newspaper said, that the patients are not known to each other, which indicates that the virus is spreading more widely, as the Marburg virus is one of the most deadly viruses known to exist, as it kills up to 88% of those infected with it, as two people are believed to have died due to infection. Extremely deadly Marburg virus in Ghana as officials prepare for a possible outbreak.
The newspaper pointed out that the patients, from the Ashanti region in the south of the country, were not known to each other, which indicates that the disease is spreading on a larger scale, adding that the initial tests came positive for the virus and the samples are being re-analyzed by the World Health Organization.WHO“If confirmed, it would be the second time that Marburg has been detected in West Africa, following a small outbreak in Guinea last year,” he said..
The newspaper said, the World Health Organization is sending experts to support Ghanaian health officials and trace the close contacts of the victims, noting that Marburg, the deadly cousin of Ebola, kills between a quarter and 90% of everyone who becomes infected..
She explained, that the highly infectious pathogen has been described as the next big epidemic threat, as the World Health Organization described it as “epidemic prone”, adding that infected patients become “ghost-like”, and often develop deep eyes and expressionless faces, usually Accompanied by bleeding from multiple body openings – including the nose, gums, eyes, and vagina.
The newspaper pointed out that two people died from the highly deadly Marburg virus in Ghana while officials were preparing for a possible outbreak, as the patients were from the southern Ashanti region and were not known to each other, indicating that the disease is spreading more widely.
Dr. Francis Kasulo, WHO Representative in Ghana, said health authorities on the ground are investigating the situation and preparing for a possible response to the outbreak, adding, we are working closely with the country to step up detection, contact tracing, and prepare to control the spread of the virus..”
Officials said that the two patients were from Ghana, suffered from diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting, their age and gender were not disclosed, and the analysis of samples taken from two patients by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research came back positive for Marburg virus, and they have now been sent to the Pasteur Institute in Senegal, a WHO collaborating center, for confirmation, as the virus is commonly associated with outbreaks in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda..
The newspaper pointed out that the World Health Organization is supporting experts to support health authorities in Ghana by strengthening disease surveillance, testing and tracing of contacts, officials will also work with communities to alert and educate them regarding the risks of the disease and cooperate with emergency response teams..
The newspaper pointed out that the Marburg virus is a viral hemorrhagic fever that belongs to the same family as the disease Ebola virus Most famously, fruit bats transmit the virus, but it can spread between humans through blood and body fluids as well as touching contaminated surfaces, adding that very strict infection control measures are needed to contain the virus..
The newspaper confirmed, that it was first discovered in humans in 1967 following the outbreak of the disease in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany and in Belgrade, Serbia, following it was transmitted to laboratory workers by monkeys imported from Uganda, the disease was discovered for the second time in 2008 in a woman Dutch woman returned to Holland from Uganda, where she used to visit caves.
The newspaper said, the disease begins suddenly, with a high temperature and severe headache, and often leads to severe bleeding within 7 days, adding, that there are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus, so doctors have to rely on intravenous drops to improve symptoms. A range of potential treatments are still being developed, including blood products, immunotherapies, and drug therapies.