Ghana records two cases of suspected Marburg Virus Disease

Two cases of Marburg Virus Disease, MVD, have been recorded in the Ashanti Region, the Ghana Health Service, GHS, has announced.

According to a July 7, 2022 statement, samples were taken from the two infected persons after they met case definition for an Acute Haemorrhagic Fever.

“Blood samples were sent to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research. Preliminary results suggest the infection is due to Marburg virus. The samples have subsequently been sent for confirmation at the Institute Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO),” the statement read in part.

It added that no new cases have been reported since the two samples were collected two weeks ago.

Thirty-four contacts of the two cases “have been identified and are currently under quarantine and being monitored by the Ashanti Regional Health Directorate” of the GHS, the statement continued.

MVD is a rare but severe hemorrhagic fever that affects both human and non-human primates. It is caused by the Marburg virus.