Abstract
Sir,
Marburg virus disease, also called Marburg Haemorrhagic Fever, has a case fatality rate ranging 24–88%, and presents clinically similarly to Ebola, caused by the same family of viruses, the Filoviridae. 1 Marburg disease was initially discovered in 1967, during a Siberian outbreak, whose root cause was attributed to working with African green monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops) imported from Uganda. Subsequent outbreaks occurred in Angola, Congo and Kenya. The last two cases were notified in 2008, of independent sources, but stemming from exposure to caves inhabited by Rousettus bat colonies. 2
On 9th August 2021, a case was confirmed in Guinea, and recently two patients from the southern Ashanti region of Ghana showed symptoms of diarrhoea, fever, and vomiting and demised. Their samples were found positive for Marburg, confirmed by a laboratory in Senegal. The World Health Organization (WHO) mobilized health experts for the preparation of possible outbreaks by increasing further investigations, disease surveillance, contact tracing and educating the public regarding transmission, risks and dangers, treatment modalities and isolation to control the transmission of the virus.
Ghana did not report any new cases; the samples had been taken two weeks prior and of 34 contacts in quarantine. As there is no vaccine approved, a patient's survival depends upon rehydration and supportive care. 3
The highly contagious Marburg spreads through human-to-human contact, fluids and fomites; the average incubation period ranges from 2–21 days, presentation ranging from high fever, and severe headache to severe haemorrhagic manifestations, ultimately leading to death due to massive blood loss. After the COVID19 pandemic, new international health protocols are in place to alert for early warning signs, establish reporting systems and maintain transparency of research. 4
A rainy season enhances viral outbreaks, as increased humidity englarges viral droplet size and thus transmission is facilitated. 5 This recognizes no man-made frontiers. Furthermore, without specific vaccination and treatment modalities, spread is inevitable. The World Health Organization has entitled Marburg “epidemic prone” currently. Appropriate measures must be put in place now before it is too late. 6
Footnotes
Declaration of conflicting interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
