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The health authorities in Ghana have quarantined 34 people following two suspected cases of the Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease from the same family as Ebola.

Those under surveillance were part of contacts traced to the suspected cases.

The health authorities say they are closely monitoring the suspected Marburg outbreak - reported in two different locations in the Ashanti region of southern Ghana.

In a statement, officials said two patients, who had since died, tested positive for the virus.

If confirmed, these would be the first cases recorded in Ghana and only the second in West Africa.

The symptoms include diarrhoea, fever, nausea and vomiting. The virus is transmitted from fruit bats and spreads among humans through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, surfaces and materials.

Samples have been sent to the Pasteur Institute in Senegal for further investigation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ghanaian authorities are conducting further checks and have begun preparations to contain the possible outbreak.