World Health Organization: Marburg virus

A WHO representative tells Sky News how the "Marburg" virus is doing.

Francis Kasolo, the WHO representative in Ghana, provided data about the organization's notification of the "Marburg" virus outbreak in the African nation, the nature of the problem, and the health of the sick and their contacts.

Major health worries for Africa were raised by the WHO's confirmation of the "Marburg" virus epidemic in Ghana on Monday, 11 months after the first known death from the virus was reported in the continent's westernmost region.

Kasolo stated that "a case of Marburg virus epidemic has been confirmed in Ghana in the remote area of the Ashanti Region" in a private interview with Sky News Arabia.

The WHO delegate in Ghana said, "So far, two instances of the virus have been recorded in Ghana; sadly, both have passed away. At this time, we have more than 93 cases to follow up on.

The World Health Organization representative noted that since the "Marburg" virus's discovery in the late 1960s of the previous century, Most outbreaks have occurred in Central Africa's Congo Basin, primarily in the Democratic Republic of the Congo..

It has expanded to parts of Uganda, Angola, Guinea, and just now Ghana, where there have been more than 200 fatalities recently.

Since 1967, there have been 12 significant "Marburg" virus outbreaks, the most of which have occurred in the south and east of Africa.

According to Kasolo, the virus is a member of the same family as "Ebola," and it shares some of the same traits with regard to how it spreads: either by direct contact with an infected person or through coming into contact with their bodily fluids.

Both dangerous and contagious

Since it spreads quickly through direct contact with infected people, the virus is actually very contagious and dangerous. According to our most recent estimates, between 24 and 80 percent of infected people die from it.

High fever and muscle pain are among the "Marburg" symptoms. Some individuals later have bleeding into body cavities, such as the eyes and ears.

Rehydration therapy and supportive care can increase a patient's chances of survival, but there is no approved treatment or vaccination for Marburg.

The "Marburg" virus typically causes a sudden onset of signs and symptoms 5 to 10 days after infection. These include fever, headache, joint pain, and muscle and joint pain.

Departing from the continent

With the exception of a few cases in a laboratory in Germany decades ago, the WHO delegate in Ghana emphasized that the majority of illness outbreaks to far have been documented in Africa and have not spread outside of it.

"We need to avoid direct contact with infected fruit bats, especially those of African origin, which are thought to be carriers of this virus," he stressed in order to stop the infection from spreading.

If you come into touch with an infected individual, report it to the nearest medical facility so that you can be isolated, watched, and treated if any symptoms arise.

Casolo emphasized that there is currently no vaccination or remedy for the "Marburg" virus.

According to its representative in Ghana, who stressed that "we also recommend that people exposed or suspected of being infected with Marburg, wear many clothes, All suspected cases should be notified to the health authorities as soon as possible so they can be isolated, lowering the risk of disease transmission from suspected patients to medical personnel. This helps to reduce the possibility of transmission within the community.

The recommendations also call for educating local populations about the virus's primary mode of transmission—direct contact with an infected person's bodily fluids—and urging nations to maintain a state of alertness so they can react quickly in the event of a Marburg or other hemorrhagic fever outbreak, like that of Ebola.

The global health authority declared, "We will keep the globe updated on what will happen in the present Marburg virus outbreak in Ghana.