Fears of new outbreak of Marburg virus, which kills 90% of patients in Africa –

Two people are believed to have died from the extremely deadly Marburg virus in Ghana as authorities prepare for a possible outbreak.

The fact that patients from the southern Ashanti region of the country did not know each other suggested that the disease was spreading further.

Initial tests were positive for the virus and the samples were retested by the World Health Organization (WHO).

If confirmed, it will be only the second time Marburg has been discovered in West Africa, after a minor outbreak in Guinea last year.

WHO is sending experts to support Ghanaian health authorities and monitor the victims’ close contacts.

A deadly cousin of Ebola, Marburg kills between a quarter and 90 percent of those infected.

The highly contagious pathogen has been touted as the next major pandemic threat, and WHO describes it as “prone to epidemics”.

Infected patients become “ghosts” and often develop sunken eyes and expressionless faces. This is often accompanied by bleeding from multiple openings, including the nose, gums, eyes, and vagina.

Two people are said to have died in Ghana from the extremely deadly Marburg virus.

Dr. Francis Kasolo, WHO’s representative in Ghana, said: “Health authorities are investigating the situation on the ground and are preparing for a possible response to an outbreak.

“We are working closely with the country to increase detection, trace contacts and be prepared to contain the spread of the virus,” he said.

Officials said the two Ghanaian patients complained of diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting. Their age and gender were not disclosed.

Analysis of samples from two patients from the country’s Noguchi Memorial Medical Research Institute was positive for Marburg.

They have now been sent to the Pasteur Institute in Senegal, a WHO collaborating centre, for approval. The couple would be Ghana’s first Marburg business.

The virus is often associated with outbreaks in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda.

WHO is recruiting experts to support Ghana’s health authorities by strengthening disease surveillance, testing and contact tracing.

Authorities will also work with communities to warn and educate them about the dangers of the disease and partner with emergency responders.

Marburg is a viral hemorrhagic fever from the same family as the better known Ebola virus disease.

The virus is transmitted by fruit bats, but can be spread among humans by touching contaminated surfaces as well as blood and body fluids.

Very stringent infection control measures are required to contain the virus.

It was first discovered in humans in 1967 after outbreaks in Marburg and Frankfurt, Germany, and Belgrade, Serbia, after being transferred to laboratory workers by monkeys imported from Uganda.

The disease was diagnosed for the second time in 2008 in a Dutch woman who had returned to the Netherlands from Uganda, where she had visited the caves.

The illness begins suddenly, with a high fever and severe headache, and usually causes severe bleeding within seven days.

There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus, so doctors must rely on intravenous infusions to improve symptoms.

A number of potential treatments are still under development, including blood products, immunotherapies, and drug therapies.