According to a World Health Organization representative, a child who had the extremely infectious Marburg virus, which is similar to the Ebola virus, in Ghana has passed away.
Since Ghana reported its first-ever outbreak of the disease last month, there have been three fatalities in the country.
This is just the second outbreak in West Africa. Guinea reported the first known incidence of the virus in the area last year.
According to the WHO, the virus spreads among people by direct contact with bodily fluids, surfaces, and objects. It is transmitted to humans from fruit bats.
The WHO announced two additional cases last week, one of which was the deceased child, whose gender and age were not given.
“Last week I mentioned the two additional cases. One is the wife of the index case and the other one is the child of the index case and the child unfortunately died, but the wife is still alive and improving,” reporters were told by WHO doctor Ibrahima Soce Fall.
Only three confirmed cases have been reported by the Ghanaian health ministry, and more testing has to be done on a fourth suspected case, according to Soce Fall.
The WHO previously reported that the first two patients, in southern Ghana’s Ashanti area, both showed symptoms including diarrhoea, fever, nausea, and vomiting before passing away in hospital.
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