Accra, Jul 18 (IANS): Ghana has confirmed the country's first two cases of Marburg virus disease (MVD), the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has said.

The confirmation came after samples from suspected infected individuals sent to the Institute Pasteur in Dakar (IPD) tested positive for MVD, the GHS in a statement late Sunday.

The GHS first announced the suspected infections on July 7, after identifying two persons who had met the case definition of acute hemorrhagic fever in Ghana's Ashanti Region.

The samples from the individuals tested positive for MVD at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the GHS.

With assistance from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the samples were forwarded to the IPD for further confirmation.

"So far, 98 contacts have been identified, including those from the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region," the GHS statement said. "They are undergoing quarantine and being monitored by the Ashanti and Savannah regional health directorates of the GHS."

"No new cases of MVD have been identified," the statement said.

The MVD, a rare but severe hemorrhaging fever, is caused by the Marburg virus and could lead to death.

The disease previously occurred in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa, Uganda, and Kenya, according to the WHO.