(Bloomberg) – Ivory Coast raised an alert for the Marburg virus after neighboring Ghana announced this week the first outbreak of highly infectious haemorrhagic disease in the West African nation.
The warning responds to a “high risk of spread,” Côte d’Ivoire’s health ministry said in a statement. Any suspicious cases should be flagged immediately, authorities said, calling for accurate sample collection and traffic protocols.
The Ghana outbreak so far has involved two unrelated patients who died after showing symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting. They sought treatment at the same hospital within days of each other and laboratory tests confirmed the nature of their illness. Côte d’Ivoire shares a 719 km (447-mile) unattended border with Ghana.
While the World Health Organization said it is supporting a national research team in Ghana, it also warns neighboring countries considered high risk.
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