A virologist at the Kumasi Centre of Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine has warned that the mishandling of the dead bodies of people who died as a result of the deadly Marburg disease is a super spreader.
Dr Michael Owusu revealed that the deadly disease is contracted by the consumption of bush meat, dead bush meat, body fluids and broken skin of infected persons.
He said the body of a person who died from the disease is dangerous if improperly handled, and will result in mass infections at a funeral ground.
“If we can deal with the appropriate handlings of dead bodies we can contain the spread of the disease in the country,” he stressed.
“Many of the cases in Africa are a result of mishandling of the bodies of people who die as a result of the disease,” he said.
The virologist made the revelation on the 505 evening news analysis programme on Class FM.
He was speaking on the back of the deployment of experts by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to respond to the outbreak that has claimed two lives in the Ashanti Region.
“With Covid-19 it is not clear whether the bodies of persons who died as a result of the disease are super-spreaders but with Marburg, it has been established that handling the dead bodies of persons infected by the disease is a major way of transmitting the disease,” he said.
He educated Ghanaians to know that an infected person will bleed from the eyes, mouth among others.
He congratulated the Ghana Health Service for being vigilant in having the disease detected in the country.