Marburg Virus Outbreak: Here's All You Need To Know
New Delhi: The world has not yet recovered completely from viruses like COVID-19, Monkeypox and Ebola and a new virus named Marbug virus has knocked the doors.
As per reports, the first two cases of this virus have been confirmed in the African country of Ghana where symptoms of the virus have been found on two patients. The first case was a 26-year-old male who checked into a hospital on June 26 and died on June 27. The second was a 51-year-old male who went to the hospital on June 28 and died the same day.
Reports also claimed that Marburg virus is a highly contagious disease and it itself causes Ebola.
What is Marburg virus?
The Marburg virus is a is a rare but severe hemorrhagic fever which can infect humans and animals both. According to WHO, it has a case fatality ration of up to 88 percent but can be lower with good care and treatment.
Symptoms of Marburg virus
Symptoms of this virus include headache, fever, muscle aches, vomiting blood and bleeding. As per reports, if the virus is not controlled on time then in that case it can kill the patient. Health officials have warned people to stay away from caves and cook all meat products thoroughly before eating them.
Treatment for Marburg virus
So far, there is no cure for Marburg virus. As per some media reports, doctors are of the opinion that drinking plenty of water and getting treatment when special symptoms are seen increases the chances of the patient's survival. The virus spreads through direct contact between humans. This means that it can spread through broken skin or mucous membranes. Blood, secretions and other bodily fluids of infected people left on surfaces and materials can infect other people.
What did the WHO say?
WHO officials have promised all possible assistance to the Ghanaian government. Not only this, WHO has also praised Ghana's quick response after the confirmation of Marburg virus.
In 2005, the Marburg virus killed more than 200 people in Angola following which the WHO called it the deadliest outbreak of Marburg virus. The first outbreak of Marburg occurred in 1967 in Germany, where seven people died.
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