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.

Veteran Indian actor Nana Patekar died at the age of 75 at his residence in Goa on Thursday, October 8 at 5:20 am after suffering a cardiac arrest.

His son Malhar Patekar confirmed the death. Doctors attempted CPR for around 45 minutes, but the actor could not be revived. Dr. Shekhar Salkar, Chief of Oncology Department, Manipal Hospital, said that a medico-legal case (MLC) has been registered, and a post-mortem will be conducted. Patekar's cause of death will be ascertained after the post-mortem.

Patekar's death has once again sparked attention to cardiac arrest, a medical emergency that can strike suddenly. But cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack, despite the two terms often being used interchangeably.

What Is Cardiac Arrest?

Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart suddenly stops pumping blood effectively to the brain and other vital organs. It is usually caused by an electrical malfunction that triggers a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm, known as an arrhythmia.

Within seconds, a person may collapse, become unconscious and stop breathing normally. Without immediate treatment, cardiac arrest can become fatal within minutes.

Unlike some medical conditions that produce warning symptoms before striking, cardiac arrest can happen abruptly, making rapid intervention crucial.

Also read: When Do You Need A Heart Check-up?

Cardiac Arrest Is Different From A Heart Attack

Basically, a heart attack is primarily a blood-flow problem, while cardiac arrest is an electrical issue. During a heart attack, a blocked artery prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching part of the heart muscle.

The heart usually continues beating. During cardiac arrest, however, the heart's electrical system malfunctions and the heart stops pumping blood.

The two conditions are connected because a heart attack can sometimes trigger a cardiac arrest, although most heart attacks do not result in cardiac arrest.

Also read: Innovations in Structural Heart Care: The Shift Towards Minimally Invasive Therapies

CPR Can Make A Significant Difference

Cardiac arrest requires immediate medical intervention. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, helps maintain blood flow to vital organs until the heart can be restarted.

An automated external defibrillator, or AED, can analyse the heart's rhythm and deliver an electrical shock to restore a normal rhythm.

The American Heart Association says immediate CPR can double or triple the chance of survival from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

If someone collapses suddenly and is unresponsive with no normal breathing, emergency medical services should be called immediately to start CPR.

Risk Factors

The risk of cardiovascular disease generally increases with age. Conditions like coronary artery disease, high blood pressure and abnormalities of heart rhythm can contribute to serious cardiac events. Smoking is one of the major risk factors.

There were no recent reports of Patekar's ill health. But in the past, he has spoken extensively about his heavy smoking history.

According to the Indian Express, Patekar opened about smoking around 60 cigarettes a day. He said he smoked heavily until his mid-50s and eventually quit after a personal incident made him reconsider the habit. He later said he had remained smoke-free for around 20 years.

Cardiac arrest is not exclusively a disease of older adults. It can occur in people with known heart disease as well as those who may not have previously been diagnosed with a heart condition.

Days after the death of Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old laboratory technician in Irkutsk's Anti-Plague Research Institute, sparked global headlines about a possible pneumonic plague outbreak, reports of a suspected second case instilled concern in global health bodies and citizens.

Russia responded to the reports of the second plague case in Siberia, while the World Health Organization (WHO) says it still lacks enough information to determine what caused the death of the laboratory worker.

Initial reports suggested she could have contracted pneumonic plague following a possible laboratory exposure, although Russian authorities have not confirmed that diagnosis.

Russia Denies Second Plague Case

Also read: Second Plague Death Reported As Russia Denies Outbreak

Local media reported the second death after Baikalsk authorities issued a Telegram warning on October 3 about “unofficial information” of a confirmed plague case in Shelekhov, The Daily Mail reported.

“Due to unofficial information about a confirmed case of plague in a person in the city of Shelekhov, we ask you to limit visits to Shelekhov and nearby settlements until the circumstances surrounding this threat are clarified,” the administration said.

The post was deleted about two hours later, according to local media Lyudi Baikala. There is no official confirmation that the person had plague or died from Yersinia pestis.

Russia's public health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, however, has maintained that Shipilova died from pneumonia of unknown or undetermined origin, rather than plague.

The agency said nearly 5,000 laboratory tests conducted among people connected to the incident had found no dangerous pathogens. More than 90% of the people who were placed under medical observation had completed monitoring.

Rospotrebnadzor also said Shipilova had been vaccinated and had immunity against the dangerous infections she worked with. It said there was no epidemic risk in the region.

The Kremlin has also rejected reports of a second suspected case. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the majority of media reports surrounding the incident were false and urged people to rely on official statements from Rospotrebnadzor.

According to Reuters, “There is a great deal of media coverage, and the vast majority of what the media are reporting about this situation is false information,” Peskov said.

WHO Investigates Lab Worker's Death

Also read: Russia Tells WHO No Plague Cases In Irkutsk, But Lab Worker's Death Remains Unexplained

Despite Russia's reassurances, the WHO says important questions about the lab worker's death still remain unanswered. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the organisation has requested details of the laboratory testing carried out on Shipilova and her contacts, the reasons behind the public-health measures and the current health status of those monitored.

The WHO has also asked Russia to verify reports that a second employee developed pneumonia of undetermined cause.

“As we don’t yet have the full picture of this event, we are not able to conduct a full risk assessment,” Tedros said. He stressed that timely, complete and transparent information is necessary to establish what happened and assess any potential public-health risk.

Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of epidemic and pandemic management, said the agency does not yet know the causative agent behind Shipilova's death.

“Right now, we don't know the causative agent of how this woman died. And that's really what we want to better understand,” she said.

Bioweapon Claims

There's also uncertainty which has prompted questions in the US about whether the incident could involve a biological weapon.

US President Donald Trump was asked on October 7 whether he believed the Russian lab worker's death was linked to a bioweapon, US President Donald Trump said: “We don't think so. We're going to find out soon enough, but we don't think so.”

He also said his administration was in “very deep discussions” about the incident and that he had a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin scheduled.

US officials, meanwhile, have continued monitoring the situation. CDC Director Erica Schwartz said the agency was prepared to monitor and screen travellers.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was monitoring reports of possible plague but said they were not a “cause for alarm”. “There’s very limited travel between the US and Russia, obviously, but like anything else, something like that gets out, it could quickly spread,” Rubio said.

“So we're watching and monitoring it closely. I don't think it's cause for alarm – but it is cause for focus and a cause to just keep an eye on it. And we're doing that.”

Meanwhile, neighboring countries including Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have reportedly tightened border health measures.

Novartis’ drug remibrutinib can now also be used for adults with symptomatic dermographism, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Marketed as Rhapsido, it is the first FDA-approved treatment specifically for symptomatic dermographism in adults whose symptoms do not sufficiently respond to H1 antihistamines.

Symptomatic dermographism is a condition is a form of chronic hives in which even minor scratching, rubbing or friction can trigger itchy, raised welts on the skin.

This has led Rhapsido to become the only prescription treatment in the US with approved uses for both symptomatic dermographism and chronic spontaneous urticaria when antihistamines alone are insufficient.

FDA Approves Remibrutinib For Symptomatic ermographism

The move came after symptomatic dermographism cohort of the Phase III RemIND trial, which included adults who remained symptomatic despite treatment with second-generation H1 antihistamines.

After 12 weeks, 29.3% of patients taking remibrutinib treated hives completely, compared to 14% of those receiving placebo. Novartis said improvements were seen as early as two weeks.

“SD is a chronic, debilitating condition with historically limited treatment options,” said Giselle Mosnaim, MD, MS, lead RemIND trial investigator. “Remibrutinib offers, for the first time, an approach to treatment specifically for SD patients who remain inadequately controlled with H1 antihistamines alone, representing a meaningful step forward for this population.”

Also read: HPV Vaccine May Keep Cervical Cancer Risk Lower In Women With HIV For Years: Lancet

What Is Symptomatic Dermographism?

Dermographism, sometimes called 'skin writing', occurs when the skin develops raised marks or welts after being scratched or pressurised.

In symptomatic dermographism, the reaction is accompanied by significant itching and hives. A person may develop welts after scratching an itch, rubbing against clothing, carrying a bag, drying off with a towel after a shower or any other everyday friction.

The welts can appear within minutes of the physical trigger, making ordinary contact with the skin unexpectedly uncomfortable.

Symptomatic dermographism is classified as a form of chronic inducible urticaria, meaning the hives are triggered by a specific physical stimulus rather than appearing spontaneously.

Also read: New Lymphoma Trial: Experimental Drug Combination Cuts Progression Or Death Risk By 51%

Why Scratching Cause Hives In Symptomatic Dermographism?

The reaction of hives forming after scratching involves mast cells, immune cells found in the skin that can release histamine and other inflammatory substances. When the skin is physically stimulated, these cells activate, triggering the characteristic redness, swelling, and itching.

This is also where remibrutinib works differently from conventional antihistamine. Remibrutinib is an oral, highly selective Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor.

By blocking the BTK process that is involved in immune-cell signalling and histamine release, the drug aims to reduce the chain of events that produce hives and itching.

Living With Symptomatic Dermographism

For most people, the condition is primarily a chronic quality-of-life problem rather than a life-threatening disease. However, persistent itching and unpredictable hives can interfere with sleep, clothing choices, work, and everyday activities.

The FDA approval does not mean remibrutinib is intended for everyone with dermographism. It is approved for adults whose symptomatic dermographism cannot be controlled by existing H1 antihistamines.

The most common adverse events reported with remibrutinib in trials included nasopharyngitis, bleeding, headache, nausea and abdominal pain.