For several years now, zoonoses (that is to say: infectious diseases capable of being transmitted from animals to humans) have had an unfortunate tendency to multiply – we are thinking of Covid-19, of course, but also monkeypox.
Now a new zoonosis has been added to the list: this Sunday, July 17, 2022, the Marburg virus disease was spotted in Ghana.
First identified in 1967, the Marburg virus is transmitted from bats to monkeys or humans, via bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces. In humans, it is responsible for a hemorrhagic fever comparable to Ebola.
Symptoms that suggest severe gastroenteritis
On the side of the main symptoms, we can mention a high fever, headaches (that is to say: intense headaches), diarrhea with blood in the stools, abdominal cramps and vomiting.
To date, there is no treatment or vaccine against the Marburg virus, which belongs to the flovirus family: its lethality rate is very high since, according to theWorld Health Organization (WHO), between 24% and 88% of affected patients do not survive. Death usually occurs due to very severe dehydration of the body.
In Ghana, the Marburg virus killed two people in early July 2022, two men aged 26 and 51. Their 98 contact cases are currently in quarantine. Local health authorities say they are doing everything to “protect the health of the population“, calling for cooperation “of all“so that the virus is”content effectively“.
Read also :
- Marburg virus: a virus similar to Ebola affects Uganda
- Covid-19: according to a French study, the coronavirus could have escaped from a laboratory
- West Nile virus (or West Nile virus): transmission, symptoms and treatments
