Senior Research Fellow at West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP), Dr. Peter Kojo Quarshie, has asked Ghanaians not to panic over the Marburg virus.
According to him, the dangers of Marburg virus which has became part of the recent viruses, are lower as compared to the Ebola virus.
Noting the dangers of Ebola over Marburg, he stated the Ebola is what the nation has to worry about more due to its deadly nature.
“The person who tested positive for the virus in Abidjan crossed the border from Guinea to Ivory Coast. I am sure he came into contact with lots of people before getting to Abidjan and I think that’s what we need to worry about the most.”
Dr. Peter Quarshie
He, however, revealed that the current strain of Ebola is less deadly than previous ones but it spreads faster compared to Marburg, making it more dangerous.
“Although Marburg has a 90 percent fatality rate, we need to worry about Ebola more because their outbreak is on a large scale.”
Dr. Peter Quarshie
Ghana has lower risk of infections
Speaking on the effects Ghana faces from the Marburg virus, Dr. Quarshie said because there is only one isolated case of the Marburg virus which is not in Ghana, that means Ghana has a low risk of contracting the infection.
“I wouldn’t say we are in danger. I would advise on how we approach animals and bats. In terms of how it spreads, it can only be in large communities with a high number of infections.”
Dr. Peter Quarshie
He noted that the detection of Marburg and Ebola is good for the surveillance system because Marburg is not a virus which is expected to be detected in this part of the world.
He advised the Ghanaian populace to be wary about the kind of animals they come in contact with.
“Unlike Ebola, we [Ghana] never identified a strand of virus from a bat. But with Marburg a few cases have been identified from bats and it proves bats are carriers of the Marburg virus.”
Dr. Peter Quarshie
According to medics, the Marburg virus which is considered to be extremely dangerous can be transmitted by exposure to one species of fruit bats or it can be transmitted between people via body fluids through unprotected sex and broken skin.
The virus is said to cause bleeding (hemorrhage), fever, and other symptoms similar to Ebola. However, the virus is not the same as Ebola, although similar.
GHS intensifies surveillance
Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has intimated it has intensified surveillance at the country’s borders following the outbreak of Ebola and Marburg Virus in neighboring Ivory Coast and Guinea respectively.
Ghana’s immediate neighbor to the West, Ivory Coast, confirmed a case of Ebola on August 14, 2021, while the virus has already claimed several lives in Guinea since the outbreak was reported on August 9, 2021.
The health management authority says it has sent correspondence to all regional and district health directorates across the country to immediately institute Marburg and Ebola preparedness and response systems to prevent the diseases from entering Ghana.
