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Ghana Prepares for Possible First-Ever Marburg Virus Outbreak Preliminary findings of two Marburg virus cases have prompted Ghana to prepare for a potential outbreak of the disease. If confirmed, these would the first such infections recorded in the country, and only the second in West Africa. Marburg is a highly infectious viral haemorrhagic fever in the same family as the more well-known Ebola virus disease. Preliminary analysis of samples taken from two patients by the country’s Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research indicated the cases were positive for Marburg, and samples have been sent to the Institut Pasteur in Senegal for confirmation. The two, unrelated, patients from the southern Ashanti region showed symptoms including diarrhoea, fever, nausea and vomiting. They have both died. Preparations for a possible outbreak response are being set up swiftly as further investigations are underway, and WHO is deploying experts to support Ghana’s health authorities.