Ghana has recorded her first two cases of the dreaded Marburg Virus and the general public is going haywire as to what fate awaits them in the coming days. In a rather comforting twist, the World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Ghana, Dr. Francis Kasola has implored Ghanaians to follow COVID-19 safety protocols to stop the spread of the Marburg virus.
Ghana has so far recorded two cases. The first case recorded was a 26-year-old male who checked into a hospital on June 26, 2022, and died on June 27, 2022. The second case involved a 51-year-old male who presented to the hospital on June 28 and died the same day.
New cases of the deadly virus have been reported in Ghana and Guinea, placing other West African countries on high alert. This fear is very much occasioned by the loose border arrangements existing among Western African countries which may be grounds for the quick spread of the virus.
Marburg Virus Disease is a rare but severe haemorrhagic fever that affects humans as well as nonhuman primates. The Marburg virus is to blame. It is spread by infected people or animals through direct contact with their body fluids, blood, and other discharges.
The disease has an incubation period of two (2) to twenty-one (21) days. The only treatment is symptomatic. There is currently no available vaccine. Potential cases may exhibit fever, bloody diarrhoea, gum bleeding, skin bleeding, eye bleeding, and bloody urine.
Dr. Francis Kasola in an attempt to allay the fear of the general public indicated that there is no need to impose travel restrictions but rather to observe the protocols in the fight against Covid 19.
“We are not recommending any travel restrictions. There will be no cause for alarm as long as people follow the advice we have given, particularly the COVID-19 prevention protocols; washing of hands, among others.”
