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Guinea has discovered an Ebola-like Marburg virus.
Digital Desk: Two people have died from the Marburg virus in Ghana, and 98 have been quarantined, raising fears of a widespread outbreak.
The highly contagious disease causes fever, muscle pains, diarrhoea, vomiting, and, in some cases, death due to excessive blood loss.
Hundreds of people have died in the past from the virus, mainly in Africa.
Ghana has confirmed the first cases of the deadly Marburg virus.
What exactly is the Marburg virus?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Marburg virus is a cousin of the equally lethal Ebola virus. It was first identified after 31 people were infected and seven died in simultaneous outbreaks in 1967 in
The outbreak was linked to the importation of African green monkeys from Uganda.
The virus, however, has since been linked to other animals.
It is primarily spread among humans by people who have spent extended periods in bat-infested caves and mines.
It is Ghana's first outbreak, but several African countries have previously reported cases, including:
However, only one person has died in Europe in the last 40 years and one in the United States after returning from expeditions to Ugandan caves.
Let's take a look at Major incidents taken from WHO reports:
Uganda: three cases, three deaths in 2017.
Uganda in 2012: 15 cases, four deaths
Angola in 2005: 374 cases and 329 deaths
DR Congo, 1998-2000: 154 cases and 128 deaths reported
Germany, 1967: 29 cases, seven deaths
What diseases does it cause?
The virus starts out abruptly with a fever, a severe headache, and muscle pains frequently followed three days later by stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.
According to the WHO, "patients at this stage have been described as having 'ghost-like' drawn features, deep-set eyes, expressionless faces, and extreme lethargy."
Many people bleed from various parts of their bodies and die eight to nine days after becoming ill due to extreme blood loss and shock.
WHO says that the virus kills half of those infected on average, but the most dangerous strains have killed up to 88 per cent.
How is the virus dispersed? let's have a look
The Egyptian rousette fruit bat frequently carries the virus.
African green monkeys and pigs can also carry it.
It spreads through bodily fluids and contact with contaminated bedding in humans.
Even after a person has recovered, their blood or sperm, for example, can infect others for months.
How should it be handled?
The virus has no known cures, nor is there a vaccine.
According to the WHO, various blood products, medications, and immune therapies are being developed.
Additionally, by providing hospital patients with plenty of fluids and replacing lost blood, doctors may be able to reduce the symptoms.
How is it to be confined?
According to Gavi, a global organisation promoting vaccine access, people in Africa should refrain from eating or handling bushmeat.
The WHO advises people to stay away from pigs when an outbreak occurs.
For a year following the onset of symptoms or until their semen tests virus-free on two separate occasions, men who have had the virus should use condoms.
The bodies of those who have died from the virus shouldn't be touched by those who bury them.
Also Read: As cases of monkeypox increase globally, the Center's advice to states
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