Credits: Canva
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Credit: iStock
India's Supreme Court has revamped guidelines for intensive care units (ICUs) across the country, and the top court has also asked all the states and Union Territories to prepare a “realistic and practical” action plan to implement the guidelines necessary as a minimum standard for intensive care units.
As per the new draft guidelines, set to be implemented from mid-May, patients who are stable and no longer need critical support will be shifted out of ICUs to wards or other care units.
The guidelines, prepared by a three-member court-appointed committee and reviewed by leading medical experts, were endorsed by the apex court as “practical, implementable, and necessary as a minimum standard for an ICU,” The Hindustan Times reported.
A bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R Mahadevan said copies of the guidelines should be shared with all the states and UTs.
“Moving further, as an immediate measure, let all the additional chief secretaries/secretaries … heading the department of health and medical education in the states and the UTs, convene a meeting of all experts involved in this exercise to prepare an action plan for implementation of the guidelines. Such a plan shall be realistic and practical,” the bench said in its order.
They also call for round-the-clock monitoring by resident doctors working in shifts, under the supervision of specialists with postgraduate qualifications recognized by the National Medical Council.
The SC bench had urged for a meeting of all concerned to discuss and prepare a final common guideline, which shall then be circulated to all states and UTs.
“A final report/blueprint/recommendation shall be prepared, which shall be placed before this court on the next date,” it said, adding that the entire exercise should be completed within three weeks.
“Let the Ministry of Health, Government of India, formally issue the guidelines placed before us today, to the states and UTs concerned by way of an advisory. A copy of it shall also be uploaded on the website of the Ministry of Health, Government of India,” the bench said, while posting the matter for further hearing on May 18.
Credit: iStock
Amid the continuously rising temperatures in India’s national capital, the Delhi government has launched several measures, from cool roofing to misting systems at bus stops, to ORS support for schoolchildren, and rest periods for construction workers, to beat the heat.
Delhi Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, who reviewed the Heat Wave Action Plan 2026 and directed officials to ensure its strict implementation, noted that the action plan this year is more scientific and robust than in previous years.
The action plan comes as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows no respite from heat for Delhi.
The agency has issued a yellow alert for today, with heatwave conditions likely at isolated places and maximum temperatures expected to reach 43-45°C. On Sunday, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 42 degrees Celsius, 3.1 degrees above the seasonal average.
However, very light rain is likely towards the afternoon. Partly cloudy skies and very light rain are forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday, which is expected to bring a slight drop in maximum temperatures.
Schools are likely to administer an ORS solution before children leave school, if required, to reduce the risk of dehydration during their commute.
Workers will also be provided with drinking water, caps, and Gamchas coverings for protection against the sun. First-aid kits and ice packs will be made available at worksites when needed.
High-pressure misting systems will be installed at bus stops, while anti-smog guns will be used to cool densely built-up areas.
Read: Is It Flu or Heat Stress? Delhi Doctors Report Rising Fever, Sore Throat Cases Amid Heatwave
In addition, 39 Quick Response Teams and trained ASHA workers are on standby. Arrangements for cold drinking water and ORS will be made at busy public locations, including bus stops and terminals.
Credit: White House/AfricaFactsZone-X
While psychedelics—psychoactive substances known to alter perception and mood—have long been sidelined, the US President Donald Trump and his administration are bringing them back to mainstream treatment.
In a significant push, Trump last week signed an executive order where he directed the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expedite a review of psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine.
The executive order signed on Saturday is designed to fast-track both research on and access to these drugs. It also includes a $50 million investment in state governments to study how psychedelics might help people struggling with mental health illnesses.
Emerging research shows psychedelics can help improve mental health, especially in conditions where traditional treatment approaches have not been useful. However, these drugs also come with several health risks that cannot be overlooked.
According to FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, ibogaine could “soon” be on track to receive FDA approval once the agency reviews data from late-stage clinical trials, CNN reported.
“Once we have them in-house, we’ll be issuing National Priority Vouchers for a review within one to two months instead of the standard one-year time frame. And that’s because this is a national priority,” Makary said.
“These are potentially promising treatments,” he said. “We’ll see how the data reads out when we get the applications, but we don’t want to waste any time, because this is an urgent matter given the mental health crisis,” the Commissioner said.
Makary noted that if ibogaine gets approved, these will be "given in a controlled, supervised setting in a hospital.”
Historical evidence suggests that ibogaine was first used by the Pygmy people in Central Africa as a sacred medium, believed to be a gift from God, which allowed them to reconnect with the divine and the dead.
It was later, during the colonial period, that the communities in the region used the compound for unity and shared experience.
It was in 1962 that Ibogaine was first seen as a potential treatment for substance-related disorders by researchers in the US. While studies back then showed promising results, psychedelics were considered controversial and, broadly, “abandoned” by researchers.
Since 1967, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in the US has classified ibogaine as a Schedule I controlled drug. Schedule I substances are those that currently have no accepted medical use and have a high potential for abuse. They are also illegal to use.
However, in recent years, ibogaine has garnered several high-profile supporters, including former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and podcast host Joe Rogan.
As per preliminary research, ibogaine has the potential to alter certain brain pathways, which can improve some mental health conditions, including PTSD, anxiety, or depression.
The executive order is a “great step,” Dr. Kirsten Cherian, a researcher at Stanford University who led a landmark study on ibogaine, was quoted as saying to CNN. Cherian added that the order may open the door to offering the treatment in US research facilities.
“The first step is to be able to do the research at home,” she said. “And it could open up a lot of research possibilities. It is kind of an exciting time.”
As per the Legislative Analysis and Public Policy Association, Ibogaine’s effects are prolonged, beginning a half hour to three hours after ingestion and can last more than 24 hours.
Individuals who have used ibogaine report experiencing a dream-like state with visual and sensory distortions. After the peak effects of the substance abate, users report going through a period of reflection and report having residual effects lasting up to 72 hours that include heightened awareness, mild stimulation, and disturbed sleep.
The hallucinogen is also known to raise the risk of abnormal heart rhythms, which could cause vomiting. This makes the use of the substance particularly risky for individuals with preexisting heart problems. There has been a total of 33 ibogainerelated deaths publicly reported in scientific literature to date.
© 2024 Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited