After mpox outbreak, Africa is under the threat of yet another virus outbreak, this is the Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda. So far, six people have died from the outbreak, confirmed the health minister. Most victims were the healthcare workers in the hospital's intensive care unit. As per reports, 20 cases have been identified since the outbreak was confirmed on Friday.

What Is Marbug Virus?

With the fatality rate of 8% it is the same virus family as Ebola. The main carrier is from fruit bats which spreads to humans then through the contact of bodily fluids of infected individuals, it spreads to others.

Common Signs And Symptoms

The common signs and symptoms of the Marburg virus include fever, pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and in the case of extreme blood loss, death too can happen.

So far, there is no specific treatment or vaccine for the virus. However, treatments like drugs and immune therapy are being developed as per the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Call Of Action

Rwanda says that it has intensified its contact tracing, surveillance and testing to contain the spread. It has also tracked about 300 people who had come into contact with individuals affected by the Marburg virus.

The health minister has urged people to stay vigilant and avoid any physical contact and to wash their hands with clean water, soap or sanitiser and report any suspected case.

As of now, most of the cases have spread to the capital in Kigali. In light of this, the US Embassy in the city has advised its employees to work remotely for the next week.

This is the first time Rwanda has confirmed for Marburg cases, before this, in 2023, Tanzania confirmed the outbreak, whereas three people had died of this in Uganda in 2017.

History Of Marburg

As per WHO, this virus kills half of the people it infects. In the previous outbreaks, it has killed between 24% to 88% of the patients.

The virus was first detected in 1976 after 31 people were infected, out of which 7 died in simultaneous outbreak in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany, and Belgrade in Serbia.

The source was traced to African green monkeys who were imported from Uganda. However, other animals too are linked to the virus spread, including bats.

In the past, the virus outbreaks have happened in countries like Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. In 2005, this virus killed 300 people in Angola.

However, for the rest of the world, only two people have died from the virus in the rest of the world, with one of them being in Europe, and the other in the US. These both have been on expeditions to caves in Uganda.

Postmenopausal bleeding is one of the key warning signs that needs medical intervention as it can be an indicator of endometrial, or womb, cancer. But most women who develop postmenopausal bleeding do not have cancer but still are required undergo several invasive tests to get a clean bill of health.

According to a new study published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health, cells from urine and vaginal fluid could help identify women who need further investigation and reduce the need for unnecessary and uncomfortable invasive procedures. However, the test is not yet accurate enough to replace biopsies or other standard tests these types of cancers.

Cells From Endometrial Tumour May Show Up In Urine And Vaginal Samples

Doctors usually recommend women with postmenopausal bleeding to undergo transvaginal ultrasound, endometrial biopsy and hysteroscopy.

These procedures can be uncomfortable, painful and costly, and some women may need repeat these tests. In the study, only 5.3% of women had endometrial cancer, despite all of them being referred for these tests due to postmenopausal bleeding.

The researchers said that cells shed by an endometrial tumour can travel into the lower genital tract and could be collected through vaginal fluid or urine. Previous research has already indicated that cancer cells could be detected in these samples.

The DETECT study was designed to determine how accurately this approach could detect cancer.

Also read: Endometriosis Can Take Years To Diagnose But This AI Tool Can Identify Its Signs In 18 Milliseconds

About The Study

The study is based on 1,864 women with postmenopausal bleeding from seven hospitals in northwest England between September 2018 and March 2021.

The participants gave their urine and vaginal fluid samples before their routine cancer investigations. Specialist cytopathologists, who were not aware of the women's cancer diagnoses, examined the samples for malignant cancerous cells.

The results were then compared to the women's clinical diagnoses and, where available, tissue histopathology. Among them, 99 had endometrial cancer and 16 had other pelvic cancers, including cervical, ovarian, bladder and colorectal cancers. The test also detected about 8 in 10 womb cancers

When urine and vaginal cytology were combined, the test detected 80.8% of endometrial cancers and correctly identified 92.6% of women who did not have the disease. Its negative predictive value was 98.8%.

In this particular study population, that means a woman with a negative combined result was highly unlikely to have endometrial cancer. But the test was not equally effective at detecting every type of cancer.

It detected 95.8% of high-grade cancers and 96.4% of stage 2 or more advanced cancers. It was more likely to miss low-grade, early-stage tumours. According to the researchers, the urine and vaginal fluid samples may miss early-stage tumours as they may shed fewer cancer cells. The sensitivity of the test was lower than that of transvaginal ultrasound and endometrial biopsy when sufficient tissue was obtained.

Also read: Urine Leakage When You Cough, Sneeze Or Exercise? It Could Be Pelvic Floor Dysfunction, Say Experts

This May Reduce Invasive Tests For Cancers

The study does not suggest that this test could replace conventional methods of diagnosis. It is merely an effective triage tool that could help screen patients and help healthcare providers decide who should actually get invasive tests done.

In the study, 99.1% of women underwent an attempted transvaginal ultrasound, 61.1% underwent an attempted endometrial biopsy and 48.2% underwent hysteroscopy. The failure rate was 25.7% for endometrial biopsy and 17.8% for hysteroscopy, with cervical stenosis and intolerable pain among reported reasons.

The test also produced false positives. Its positive predictive value for endometrial cancer was 38.1%, meaning a positive result would still require further investigation.

The researchers say further studies will establish how the test performs in standard healthcare systems, different populations, and other relevant settings. They also note that highly trained specialist cytopathologists interpreted the samples and helped provide diagnoses, so it remains uncertain whether the same accuracy can be achieved elsewhere.

Another interesting finding from the study is that among 10 women whose initial cytology missed cancer and who underwent repeat sampling, four tested positive on repeat testing, suggesting repeated sampling could improve detection.

The researchers also propose exploring artificial intelligence and image-recognition technology to supplement cytological analysis.

As India marks eight years of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the scheme’s expansion and its role in reducing the financial burden of medical treatment.

Launched on September 23, 2018, AB PM-JAY provides cashless hospitalisation cover of up to Rs 5 lakh per family annually to economically vulnerable citizens. It is now implemented across all 36 States and Union Territories in India.

Over 60 Crore People Covered

In a post on X, PM Modi said more than 60 crore people are covered under the scheme.

“Eight years ago, Ayushman Bharat was rolled out with the idea that every Indian should have access to top-quality and affordable healthcare. Today, more than 60 crore beneficiaries have access to Rs. 5 lakh annual health cover, making it the largest healthcare scheme in the world. It has enabled record savings on medical expenses, thus benefitting the poor and middle class,” PM Modi said.

He emphasised that “healthcare is moving closer to every doorstep,” with Ayushman Arogya Mandirs strengthening primary healthcare at the grassroots and recording over 500 crore visits.

Also read: India Launches Biovigilance Program To Strengthen Organ Transplant Safety

Ayushman Bharat: Key Numbers

As of September 21, 2026:

• 60 crore+ people covered under AB PM-JAY
• 48.54 crore+ Ayushman cards created
• 13 crore+ people availed free treatment
• Rs 2 lakh crore+ worth of hospitalisation and treatment provided
• 38,000+ public and private hospitals empanelled
• 1,961 procedures covered across 27 medical specialties

Union Health Minister JP Nadda said, “behind every number is a story” — including families protected from medical debt and patients receiving timely treatment without the fear of financial hardship.

What Is Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY?

AB PM-JAY is the financial protection component of Ayushman Bharat, covering secondary and tertiary hospitalisation.

As of September 21, more than 48.51 crore people, or about 33% of India's population, held Ayushman cards.

As of August 31, the scheme had funded 13.25 crore hospital admissions worth Rs 2.03 lakh crore through more than 38,000 empanelled hospitals.

Ayushman Arogya Mandirs Expand Primary Care

Ayushman Arogya Mandirs form the primary healthcare component of Ayushman Bharat.

They have recorded more than 540 crore visits, while over 50 crore teleconsultations have been conducted as of September 17.

ABHA IDs Cross 97 Crore

Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, more than 97.61 crore ABHA IDs were operational as of September 17, with over 119.95 crore health records linked to them.

The platform also had more than 5.78 lakh healthcare facilities and 11 lakh healthcare professionals registered.

PM-ABHIM Strengthens Health Infrastructure

The Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) has a budget of Rs 64,180 crore for 2021-2026, focusing on health infrastructure, disease surveillance and health research.

Expansion of AB PM-JAY

In March 2024, AB PM-JAY was expanded to around 37 lakh families of ASHAs, anganwadi workers and anganwadi helpers. More than 44.81 lakh Ayushman cards had been created for them as of September 21.

The scheme was also expanded in September 2024 to cover all senior citizens aged 70 years and above. More than 1.36 crore Ayushman Vay Vandana cards had been issued as of September 21.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating a multistate hepatitis A outbreak linked to imported frozen clams.

At least 37 people have been infected across four states, according to the CDC. Thirty people have been hospitalized, while no deaths have been reported.

Cases have been reported in Massachusetts (three), Minnesota (three), New York (27) and Pennsylvania (four). Those infected range in age from 6 to 40 years.

Raw Shellfish Linked to Outbreak

Health officials interviewed people about foods they consumed before falling ill. The CDC said:

“Of the people interviewed, 77% reported eating ceviche (raw fish or shellfish marinated in citrus juice), 76% reported eating raw or undercooked shellfish, and 47% reported eating raw or undercooked conchas negras (black clams),” the CDC said.

Further analysis found that imported frozen clams were the likely source of the infection.

The CDC said the actual number of illnesses is likely higher than the 37 reported cases. Some people may recover without seeking medical care and therefore may not be tested for hepatitis A. Recent illnesses may also not yet have been linked to the outbreak because it can take weeks to determine whether an individual case is part of an outbreak.

Frozen Clam Products Recalled

La Serranita-brand concha negra (black shell) shell meat products were recalled by dealers in New York and New Jersey in April.

The shell meat products, imported from Ecuador, were distributed to restaurants and retailers in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania and may have been distributed elsewhere.

What To Do If You Were Exposed

If you ate frozen La Serranita-brand concha negra shell meat raw or undercooked within the past 14 days and are not vaccinated against hepatitis A, contact your local health department or healthcare provider to discuss treatment, including post-exposure prophylaxis, the CDC said.

What Is Hepatitis A?

Hepatitis A is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). It spreads when people consume food or water contaminated with the virus or through close contact with an infected person. Hepatitis A is preventable through vaccination.

Hepatitis A Symptoms

Not everyone infected with hepatitis A develops symptoms. When symptoms occur, they usually appear 2–7 weeks after exposure and can include:

• Dark urine or clay-colored stools
• Diarrhea
• Feeling tired
• Fever
• Joint pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea, stomach pain or vomiting
• Yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice)

Adults are more likely than children to develop symptoms. People with hepatitis A may feel sick for several weeks to several months but usually recover completely.

In rare cases, hepatitis A can lead to hospitalization, liver failure and death. Severe disease is more common in older people and those with other serious health conditions, such as chronic liver disease.