The announcement comes after two unrelated sufferers from the southern Ashanti area of Ghana, each of whom later died, examined constructive for the virus.
The sufferers had proven signs together with diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting, WHO stated, including that greater than 90 contacts are being monitored.
Marburg is a extremely infectious viral hemorrhagic fever in the identical household as the higher identified Ebola virus illness and has a fatality ratio of as much as 88%, in response to WHO. “Sickness begins abruptly, with excessive fever, extreme headache, and malaise,” it acknowledged.
The virus is transmitted to people from fruit bats and may then be unfold human-to-human by direct contact with the bodily fluids of contaminated individuals or surfaces and supplies contaminated with these fluids, WHO defined.
The worldwide well being physique stated containment measures had been being put in place and that extra sources could be deployed in response to the outbreak in Ghana. WHO additionally warned that “with out quick and decisive motion, Marburg can simply get out of hand.”
There aren’t any accredited vaccines or antiviral remedies for the Marburg virus. Nevertheless, a affected person’s probabilities of survival might be improved with care together with oral or intravenous rehydration and remedy of particular signs, WHO stated.
In keeping with WHO, nations at increased threat of a resurgence of the virus have been contacted “and they’re on alert.”
