Nigeria is on high alert following Ghana’s announcement of the country’s first Marburg virus outbreak.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), given its proximity to Ghana, Nigeria is more vulnerable to the disease today than it was last year when it was first reported in Guinea.
Marburg Virus
Marburg fever is a highly contagious viral hemorrhagic fever in the same virus family as the more well-known Ebola virus disease. Exposure to one species of fruit bat can transmit the virus, or it can be transmitted between people via body fluids unprotected sex and broken skin.
Similar to Ebola, the disease can cause bleeding (haemorrhage), fever, and other symptoms. However, although similar, the Marburg virus is not the same as Ebola.
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According to the WHO, there are no approved vaccines or antiviral treatments for Marburg, but early, professional treatment of symptoms such as dehydration increases survival chances significantly.
The zoonotic disease has only been detected twice in West Africa. Guinea confirmed a single case in an outbreak that was declared over five weeks after the initial case was discovered on September 16, 2021. Two dead as Ghana confirms the outbreak of the Marburg Virus.
A source at NCDC “The case, last year, was in Guinea. For Ghana, the situation is different. Nothing is impossible. The disease can get to Nigeria. The world is a global village. People are moving freely across borders. It depends on how Ghana is handling and monitoring the situation”.
“Diseases don’t just jump; they are made to jump by human or animal hosts. However, the NCDC is watching and monitoring the situation and we shall come out with an official position soon. Remember, Nigeria has not reported any case of Marburg virus disease before”.
