Africa Raises Alarm on Spread of Marburg Virus

Marburg is a rare but severe illness, often fatal in humans, with a case fatality rate of up to 88%. It was formerly known as Marburg hemorrhagic fever. The virus spreads through human-to-human transmission via direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs, or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials contaminated with these fluids. Marburg is a highly infectious disease that is said to be in the same family as the virus that causes Ebola.

The World Health Organisation WHO says "an outbreak of Marburg virus disease may represent a serious public health threat as it is severe and often fatal".

In July 2022, Ghana confirmed its first two Marburg cases. Both patients died in a hospital in the heavily populated Ashanti region. The outbreak in Ghana was the second time the virus would be detected in West Africa, after the 2021 experience in Guinea.

In Nigeria, the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital notified the hospital community of the outbreak of the virus and called for caution. To prevent the outbreak of the virus in Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control highlighted measures that Nigerians should adhere to. It urged Nigerians to avoid non-essential travel to locations where the outbreak is reported, and avoid direct contact with blood, saliva, vomit, urine, and other bodily fluids of people suspected or confirmed, to have the virus.

Elsewhere in Africa, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases of Marburg have been reported in Angola, DR Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Guinea and Uganda.