Horror virus that leaves 'ghost' patients bleeding from nose and gums kills two

The global vaccine charity Gavi last year flagged Marburg as one of the viruses that could trigger the next global pandemic because its long incubation time means it can spread quickly

Researchers take samples from a bat suspected of being the source of many epidemics (

Image: AFP via Getty Images

Two people have died in Ghana after contracting a highly contagious virus, which causes horrific Ebola-like symptoms.

Marburg virus is a highly contagious viral hemorrhagic fever that belongs to the same family as the well-known Ebola virus, but with a much higher mortality rate.

The first two reported cases have both died, with the virus fatality rate rising sharply to 88%.

This is the first time the virus has been detected in Ghana and only the second outbreak in West Africa.

The patients were identified in the Ashanti region of southern Ghana, but only after they died.

Dr Tom Fletcher, an infectious disease consultant at Royal Liverpool University Hospital, told the Telegraph that delayed diagnosis often means healthcare workers have been exposed and there could be other cases not detected.

A health worker walks through an Ebola quarantine unit (

Picture:

AFP/Getty Images)

The virus is transmitted to humans by fruit bats and is spread among humans through contact with the bodily fluids of the infected patient.

While the tests c...