Two cases of infection with the rare Marburg virus that causes haemorrhagic fever have been confirmed in Ghana, Africa, the WHO has announced. Now two patients and 98 people who contacted them are in quarantine.
The Marburg virus is similar to the Ebola virus – the pathogen causes fever, headaches, nosebleeds. There is currently no vaccine or effective treatment for Marburg virus. Mortality ranges from 23 to 88% depending on the strain. The virus is usually transmitted to humans from bats.
Marburg fever, what is known about it:
- The virus is transmitted to humans from fruit bats
- The disease begins acutely, with high fever, severe headache and malaise
- Lethality in past outbreaks has ranged from 24% to 88% depending on the virus strain
- Supportive care is used to improve patient survival, no vaccines available for treatment
- Now the geographical coverage of the virus has spread, and this is a concern
- To stop the outbreak, you need to understand how the virus got to humans.
