Until law, GLP-1 drugs were used to treat diabetes, obesity and even the recent evidences suggest that it could as well be used to treat chronic kidney problems. There is yet another research, published in JAMA Psychiatry on February 25, titled Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults With Alcohol Use Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial that explores if GLP-1 receptor agonist semaglutide reduce alcohol consumption and cravings in adults with alcohol use disorder.

What Do Studies Say?

The research was conducted over a period of 9 weeks, where in the randomized clinical trial, the participants who were administered semaglutide, it led to reductions in some but not all measures of weekly consumptions. It also reduced weekly alcohol and craving related to placebo, and also led to a greater relative reduction in cigarettes per day.

The research also found that weekly injections of semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in weight loss drugs like Wegovy also helped reduce cravings in people with alcohol use disorder.

The lead author Christian Hendershot said that these findings will help in developing new approaches to treat alcoholism. "Two drugs currently approved to reduce alcohol consumption aren't widely used. The popularity of Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists increases the chances of broad adoption of these treatments for alcohol use disorder," said Hendershot in news release by the University of Southern California's Institute for Addiction Research, where he is the director.

The study is government-funded research and was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health.

How Was The Study Conducted?

The study was small, and took in account for only 48 adults over two months, thus experts say that it is not yet clear how safe these drugs are for people who do not need to lose weight. Though the results do add up with the evidence form animal studies on drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy on how it helps manage cravings, not just for food, but also for tobacco and alcohol. Scientists are also studying these drugs on smokers, people with opioid addiction and cocaine users.

Co-author Dr Klara Klein of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who treats people with obesity and diabetes said, "This is such promising data. And we need more of it. We frequently will hear that once people start these medications that their desire to drink is very reduced, if not completely abolished."

Why Does It Work So Well Against Alcoholism?

The GLP-1 receptor agonists work by mimicking hormones GLP-1 in the gut and brain that regulates appetite and feelings of fullness. This response is what helps one lose weight, and what helps one curb their craving for alcohol. These drugs that mimic the functioning of your brain, which is responsible to tell your body when to stop consuming, are the same hormones that tell your body about other kinds of consumptions, including alcohol. Therefore by consuming the weight loss drugs one can treat alcohol use disorder.

However, the researchers have pointed out on the limited data on the research and have suggested to continue using the three approved drugs by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, namely, Disulfiram, Naltrexone, and Acamprosate to treat alcohol use disorder until large studies confirm these findings.

The 17th outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been identified as the rare Bundibugyo strain.

Bundibugyo virus disease is a rare and deadly illness that has caused outbreaks in several African countries in the past. It is different from other known ebolaviruses such as the Zaire ebolavirus and the Sudan ebolavirus.

Bundibugyo virus was first identified during an outbreak in 2007 in Uganda, which resulted in 131 cases and 42 deaths.

Another Bundibugyo outbreak was reported in 2012, killing 50 per cent of the people infected in Uganda and 34 per cent in DR Congo.

As per the US CDC, as of May 17, there are reports of 10 confirmed cases and 336 suspected cases, including 88 deaths, in DRC.

Uganda has reported 2 confirmed cases, including 1 death, among people who travelled from DRC. No further spread has been reported. These numbers are subject to change as the outbreak evolves.

How Does Ebola Bundibugyo Spread?

Also read: WHO Calls Ebola Outbreak In DR Congo And Uganda An International Public Health Emergency

The Bundibugyo virus spreads through contact with the blood or bodily fluids of a person infected with or who has died from the rare Ebola strain.

It can also spread through contact with contaminated objects such as clothing, bedding, needles, and medical equipment, or through contact with infected animals such as bats and nonhuman primates.

Historically, Bundibugyo virus outbreaks have recorded fatality rates ranging from 25 per cent to 50 per cent.

Symptoms To Watch For

Symptoms of Bundibugyo virus disease are similar to other forms of Ebola and include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Weakness
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Stomach pain
• Unexplained bleeding or bruising, usually in later stages of illness

The WHO has described the current outbreak as “extraordinary” because there are no approved Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines, unlike the Ebola-Zaire strain. Most of the country’s previous outbreaks were caused by the Zaire strain.

Prof Trudie Lang from the University of Oxford also described dealing with Bundibugyo as “one of the most significant concerns” in the current outbreak, the BBC reported.

Symptoms are believed to appear between two and 21 days after infection.

With no approved drugs specifically targeting the Bundibugyo virus, treatment currently depends on supportive care, including managing pain, treating secondary infections, maintaining fluids, and ensuring adequate nutrition. Early medical care improves survival chances.

CDC Issues Travel Guidelines

The CDC advised people traveling to Uganda and the DR Congo to follow routine precautions. These include:

• Consider travel insurance, including medical evacuation coverage.
• Avoid contact with people showing symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, or rash.
• Avoid contact with blood, bodily fluids, or contaminated objects.
• Avoid contact with bats, forest antelopes, and nonhuman primates such as monkeys, chimpanzees, and gorillas.
• Avoid entering caves or mines where bats may live.

Travellers should monitor themselves for symptoms while in outbreak areas and for 21 days after leaving. If symptoms develop:

• Isolate immediately
• Do not travel
• Contact local health authorities or a healthcare facility before visiting in person

At least six Americans who are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are believed to have been exposed to the Ebola virus, amid the latest outbreak in the African nation that has killed over 80 people and infected nearly 300, according to a media report.

Citing sources, STAT News said that one of the individuals may also have developed symptoms.

Although there are no test results yet for any of the individuals, the US government is reportedly trying to arrange for their transportation out of the DRC to a location where they can be safely quarantined and cared for, if they are found to have been infected.

It is also not clear if that would be in the US. As per sources, it may be an American military base in Germany, the report said.

Meanwhile, the US CDC, in a statement said, it is supporting interagency partners "who are actively coordinating the safe withdrawal of a small number of Americans who are directly affected by this outbreak."

"At this time, the risk to the American public remains low," the CDC said. "CDC continues to closely monitor the situation and has systems in place to detect and respond rapidly to potential public health threats."

The health agency has also issued travel advisories for Americans traveling in Congo and Uganda, telling them to "practice enhanced precautions" and avoid people who have symptoms, which include fever, muscle pain, and rash.

The latest Ebola outbreak, the 17th in DR Congo, has also spread to Uganda. On May 17, the World Health Organization declared it a "public health emergency of international concern."

According to the Africa CDC, the outbreak is caused by a rare strain Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no vaccine available currently.

Also read: WHO Calls Ebola Outbreak In DR Congo And Uganda An International Public Health Emergency

What Is Ebola?

The US CDC explains that the Ebola disease is caused by a group of viruses, known as orthoebolaviruses (formerly ebolavirus).

These viruses can cause serious illness that, without treatment, can cause death. Orthoebolaviruses were discovered in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and are found primarily in sub-Saharan Africa.

The four types of orthoebolaviruses cause illness in people are:

• The Ebola virus (species Orthoebolavirus zairense)
• Sudan virus (species Orthoebolavirus sudanense)
• Taï Forest virus (species Orthoebolavirus taiense)
• Bundibugyo virus (species Orthoebolavirus bundibugyoense)

The CDC notes that two other types of orthoebolaviruses have not affected people to date. They are:

• Reston virus (species Orthoebolavirus restonense) has caused disease in non-human primates like macaques.
• Bombali virus (species Orthoebolavirus bombaliense) was more recently identified in bats.

Read More: More Americans Exposed To Hantavirus; 41 Under Monitoring, Says CDC

How Ebola Infection Spreads and Turns Deadly

People sick with Ebola disease can spread the virus to others when they start having symptoms like fever, aches, pains, and fatigue. It can be spread through direct contact with infected bodily fluids.

As the person becomes sicker, the illness causes diarrhea, vomiting, and unexplained bleeding. In severe cases, the virus can damage blood vessels, weaken the immune system, and lead to organ failure, internal bleeding, and shock.

However, the virus can persist in certain bodily fluids, such as semen, even after recovery, meaning transmission may still be possible in rare cases despite the absence of symptoms.

"This happens when the virus remains in certain parts of the body that are shielded from the immune system. For example, the virus can remain in semen even after someone recovers. Whether the virus is present in these body parts, and for how long, varies by survivor," the CDC said.

The World Health Organization today declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC), citing the risk of spread to neighboring countries.

The WHO defines a Public Health Emergency as an extraordinary event or crisis that poses a substantial risk of widespread illness, injury, or death to a population, such as pandemics, severe pollution events, or natural disasters.

However, the WHO clarified that the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency. Countries sharing land borders with the DRC were described as being at high risk for further spread.

“The Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), but does not meet the criteria of pandemic emergency, as defined in the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR),” the WHO said in a statement.

Ebola Outbreak: Cases And Deaths

The UN health agency said the outbreak has caused 80 deaths, with eight laboratory-confirmed cases and 246 suspected Ebola cases reported in Ituri Province in the DR Congo, across Bunia, Rwampara, and Mongbwalu.

In addition, two laboratory-confirmed cases — including one death — with no apparent link to each other were reported in Kampala, Uganda, within 24 hours of each other, indicating international spread. Both individuals had travelled separately from the DR Congo.

A laboratory-confirmed case has also been reported in Kinshasa, DR Congo, involving a person returning from Ituri.

The WHO further noted unusual clusters of community deaths and said the outbreak poses a public health risk to other countries through international spread, which has already been documented.

Also read: World Hypertension Day 2026: Why Switching Salt May Be India’s Simplest Weapon Against High Blood Pressure

What Is Bundibugyo Virus Disease?

Bundibugyo virus disease is a rare and deadly illness that has caused outbreaks in several African countries in the past. It is different from other known ebolaviruses such as the Zaire ebolavirus and Sudan ebolavirus.

The virus was first identified during an outbreak in 2007, which resulted in more than 100 cases before being declared over in early 2008.

The WHO described the current outbreak as “extraordinary” because there are no approved Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines, unlike the Ebola-Zaire strain. Most of the country’s previous outbreaks were caused by the Zaire strain.

How The Virus Spreads

According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Bundibugyo strain spreads through contact with the blood or body fluids of infected individuals or people who have died from the disease.

Transmission can also occur through contact with contaminated objects such as clothing, bedding, needles, and medical equipment, or through infected animals including bats and nonhuman primates.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, and unexplained bleeding or bruising in the later stages of illness.

Read More: Can Hantavirus Spread Through Semen And Breast Milk? What Experts Say

WHO Issues Guidelines

The WHO advised immediate isolation of confirmed cases and daily monitoring of contacts. It also recommended restricting national travel for exposed individuals and avoiding international travel until 21 days after exposure.

At the same time, the agency urged countries not to close borders or restrict travel and trade out of fear, warning that such measures could lead to unmonitored informal border crossings.