Two cases of the Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) have been confirmed by the Ghana Health Service. On July 7, 2022, the Ashanti Region reported the first cases of the disease. After testing at the Institute Pasteur in Dakar (IPD), Senegal, the cases were confirmed, in a statement issued by Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service.
The test outcomes supported the findings from the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research. As this was Ghana’s first official confirmation of Marburg Virus Disease, samples were forwarded to IPD with assistance from the World Health Organization (WHO) for validation per best practices.
According to the Ghana Health Service, some 98 contacts have been traced so far including those from the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba district in the Savannah Region. It was said that the infected persons were under quarantine and were being monitored by the Ashanti and Savannah Regional Health Directorates of the Ghana Health Service. It however said that no new cases of MVD have been identified.
The GHS further said that it is continuing with its response strategies to stop any new cases from occurring and is collaborating with all pertinent agencies to make sure that no case is missed by the medical community. It is also strengthening community activities with the engagement of community-based surveillance volunteers who serve as eyes on the ground for the health system and who will report any unusual occurrences to the Ghana Health Service for further action.
The GHS stressed that Personal Protection Equipment (PPEs) had been delivered to the affected districts to ensure that this outbreak is effectively contained. The Ghana Health Service is therefore calling for all hands on deck to fight this disease.
The Ghana Health Service must be commended for its proactiveness in dealing with the Marburg virus disease. We are calling on both government and non-government health providers to partner with and support the GHS in combating this disease and preventing its spread.
Marburg Virus
The Marburg virus disease is an uncommon yet deadly hemorrhagic fever that could affect both humans and non-humans. The disease is caused by the Marburg virus and can be transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids, and other discharges from an infected person or animal. The disease takes between two and twenty-one days to incubate and is treated symptomatically.
A vaccine has not yet been introduced. After the disease was detected in a nearby West African nation, Guinea, in 2021, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) ordered all of its regional offices to be on high alert for the Marburg virus.
Symptoms
A person infected with MVD may experience early signs of fever, chills, headache, and myalgia. Later symptoms will be nausea, vomiting, chest pain, a sore throat, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea.
Extreme cases may be characterized by jaundice, excessive weight loss, shock, and extensive bleeding.
Treatment
Although there is no known vaccine for the treatment of MVD, supportive care is recommended by rehydration using oral or intravenous fluids. Also, treating the known symptoms enhances survival.
Read the Full Statement by the Ghana Health Service
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