Equatorial Guinea confirms outbreak of Marburg virus

Authorities in Equatorial Guinea on Monday said the country reported its first outbreak of the Marburg virus, a highly contagious disease in the same family of viruses that cause Ebola.

Nine people are suspected to have died from the virus in the western region of Kie Ntem in the country.

Further tests performed on one sample that was collected and shipped to the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, Senegal, were found to be positive.

The World Health Organization says 16 people are now under quarantine. The health organization has sent a team of experts to the area to help health workers.

Last week, the country's Minister of Health, Mitoha Ondo'o Ayekaba, said preliminary investigations linked the deaths to people who attended a funeral.

This is the first outbreak reported in the country and the third in West Africa. Ghana confirmed one case last year and Guinea the year before.

The virus is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and spreads between humans through bodily fluids.

Although there is no vaccine or treatment, those diagnosed are advised to drink plenty of water as doctors treat the symptoms of the disease.

Previous outbreaks and sporadic cases of Marburg in Africa have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.