Equatorial Guinea confirmed the first-ever Marburg virus outbreak.

Marburg virus, a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever, is part of the same family as Ebola. It spreads to people through fruit bats and is transmitted by direct contact with bodily fluids or surfaces of infected persons. Many patients experience severe hemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.

There are no vaccines or antiviral treatments approved to treat the virus.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), in a statement, said that Equatorial Guinea was confirmed after preliminary tests were conducted following the deaths of nine people in the western Kie Ntem region.

According to the organization, samples were sent to the Institut Pasteur reference lab in Senegal to determine the source of the disease after an alert was received by a district official on February 7.

One of eight samples that were tested at Institut Pasteur was positive for the virus.

So far, nine deaths and 16 suspected cases with symptoms including fever, fatigue, and blood-stained vomit and diarrhea have been reported, the statement reads.

Further investigations are ongoing. Advance teams have been deployed in the affected districts to trace contacts, isolate and provide medical care to people showing symptoms of the disease.

Efforts are also underway to rapidly mount an emergency response, with WHO deploying health emergency experts in epidemiology, case management, infection prevention, laboratory, and risk communication to support the national response efforts and secure community collaboration in outbreak control.

WHO is also facilitating the shipment of laboratory glove tents for sample testing as well as one viral hemorrhagic fever kit that includes personal protective equipment that can be used by 500 health workers.

Equatorial Guinea had reportedly earlier quarantined more than 200 people and restricted movement following the death of at least eight people from an illness causing hemorrhagic fever.

The deaths were said to have been linked to people who all took part in a funeral ceremony.

Commenting on the situation, Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said thanks to the rapid and decisive action by the Equatorial Guinean authorities in confirming the disease.

Moeti said the emergency response could get on quickly so that an end can be brought to the virus as soon as possible.

The development comes four months after Ghana declared an end to its Marburg virus outbreak with three confirmed cases including two deaths recorded.

So bad