The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, has disclosed that one close contact in the Marburg Virus Disease cases in Ghana who tested positive died on July 21, 2022.

He noted that the deceased reported symptoms after the maximum incubation period.

At a press briefing in Accra, he said 40 additional contacts in the Savannah Region have been identified and are being followed up.

Dr Kuma-Aboagye noted that 11 out of 40 contacts are Health Care Workers (HCW) and are monitored daily by healthcare staff in the affected districts.

He said other measures being implemented to contain the disease include alerts sent to all districts, community engagements, intensive risk communication in the affected region and ongoing investigations on the outbreak.

He added a Rapid Response Team (GHS and Partners) has been formed to support regional and district teams with detailed clinical investigations, clinical records review and sensitization of clinical staff and support with contact tracing and follow-up.

The Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research (NMIMR) confirmed Marburg Virus Disease in Ghana on July 7, 2022. The results were subsequently corroborated by IPD on July 15, 2022.

The second suspected case from the NMIMR is yet to be corroborated by IPD as further investigation is being conducted and all contacts of the "case-patient" have completed the mandatory 21-day quarantine and are all healthy.