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.

Former Indian cricketer Vinod Kambli is at risk of suffering from a brain stroke and is battling serious health challenges, says Marcus Couto, a friend of Kambli. In an interview with the Times of India, he revealed that Kambli had been hospitalised 18 months ago and has a clot in his brain. Because of this, his memory is impaired, Couto told TOI. He further added that Kambli remembers details briefly and then forgets them again. While Kambli has given up drinking alcohol, his friend revealed that he sometimes smokes despite it being forbidden. For Kambli’s fans, this news comes as an unfortunate update—not to forget the lingering risk of a brain stroke, given the current scenario.

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Vinod Kambli’s health has reportedly improved recently, but concerns linger regarding his neurological health and memory. The 54-year-old is reportedly able to walk, but his memory remains inconsistent. Reports suggest that he recalls only fragments from his life, despite the fact that his health has not deteriorated in recent months. While the clot in his brain cannot be removed, his friend Couto confirmed that doctors have recommended extra care due to the risk of a brain stroke. Reports suggest that Kambli’s friends in the cricketing community have come forward to offer financial support—Sunil Gavaskar, Sachin Tendulkar, and Kapil Dev, to name a few.

Vinod Kambli is recovering despite challenges

On the brighter side, reports suggest that Kambli’s mobility has improved. Earlier relying on furniture for movement, he now walks with the help of a support stick—efforts are underway to enroll him in physiotherapy. While daily challenges persist, Kambli spends most of his time at home undergoing health check-ups. While undergoing treatment at Breach Candy Hospital, he had recovered by 60 per cent.

Are blood clots always deadly?

Blood clots usually form as the body’s natural response to a physical injury. They help prevent excessive loss of blood due to uncontrolled bleeding. However, when these clots form inside blood vessels, they can obstruct blood flow and even rupture, thereby leading to severe complications such as a stroke, damage to brain cells, and even death. In some cases, blood clots in the brain can lead to mild episodes of seizures and paralysis. Therefore, it is important to ensure prompt medical treatment.

Symptoms of a blood clot in the brain

A blood clot in the brain is known as an embolism, and its symptoms often appear suddenly and require immediate medical attention. Some of the symptoms are:

1. Weakness or numbness in one part of the body
2. Dizziness
3. Severe headaches
4. Speech difficulties
5. Disorientation
6. Memory loss
7. Behavioural changes
8. Sudden, unexplained seizures
9. Double or blurred vision
10. Vertigo or loss of balance

While Ozempic and Wegovy are best known for treating diabetes and obesity, a new mouse study has shown promise for treating liver disease, particularly metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH)—fatty liver disease.

MASH is a severe form of fatty liver disease in which fat buildup, inflammation, and tissue scarring can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure.

The benefits seen were independent of weight loss, revealed the study, which challenges long-held assumptions about how GLP-1 medicines work in the liver and could reshape how physicians treat metabolic liver disease.

Researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital found that patients taking semaglutide—the active ingredient in the popular weight loss drugs—showed improvements in the fatty liver condition that went beyond what could be explained by blood sugar control and weight loss alone.

The finding, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, explained that semaglutide, which mimics the gut hormone GLP-1, acts directly on a subset of liver cells to improve organ function and does so independently of weight loss.

"We've seen in clinical trials that patients who lose very little weight see the same reductions in liver inflammation, scarring, and enzyme levels as those who lose a great deal of weight. Now we know why," said Dr. Daniel Drucker, a senior investigator at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, who led the study.

"We're not saying weight loss isn't important, because many things improve when patients lose weight. But we now know that weight shouldn't be the only measure of success, because GLP1 medicines will improve liver health whether or not the patient loses weight," he added.

Semaglutide Could Reverse Fatty Liver Disease

There is a prevailing assumption that liver cells do not carry the receptor that semaglutide binds to, meaning the drug has no direct route to the organ.

To better understand, Postdoctoral fellow Dr. Maria Gonzalez-Rellan combined sophisticated mouse models of MASH with deep molecular analyses of liver cells.

The results identified two cell types carrying semaglutide receptors: liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) and immune T cells.

Although LSECs account for only about 3 per cent of liver cell volume, they proved to be the key driver of semaglutide's liver benefits.

LSECs line the tiniest blood vessels in the liver and are studded with pores that allow them to act as a molecular sieve, filtering substances passing between the liver and the bloodstream.

“Semaglutide reversed MASH in mice that lacked the brain receptors controlling appetite, demonstrating that weight loss is not required for liver benefits,” Dr. Gonzalez-Rellan said.

In a further test, mice lacking LSEC receptors showed no liver improvement on semaglutide even after losing 20 per cent of their body weight.

How This Will Impact Patients

The findings carry practical implications. GLP-1 medicines have become widely prescribed, yet their mechanism of action in the body, beyond appetite suppression and blood sugar control, is not well understood

Knowing that semaglutide improves liver health independently of weight loss could influence prescribing decisions.

Physicians may choose lower doses that avoid the side effects associated with the higher doses needed for significant weight loss, potentially also lowering costs for patients, said Dr. Drucker.

Cases of drug-resistant Shigella infections are increasing significantly in the US and pose a “public health threat,” warned the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its latest report.

Shigella is a highly infectious bacterium that causes gastrointestinal illness, commonly known as shigellosis.

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According to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published on April 9, out of the 17,000 samples tested, the percentage found to have drug-resistant Shigella bacteria grew from 0 per cent in 2011 to 8.5 per cent in 2023.

The CDC noted that shigellosis is a nationally notifiable disease in the US.

Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Shigella is a Shigella species that is resistant to common antibiotics such as ampicillin, azithromycin, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

“It is a public health concern because no Food and Drug Administration–approved oral antimicrobial agents are available; alternative oral treatment options are limited, and resistance genes can spread to other enteric bacteria,” the CDC said.

The antimicrobial resistance was characterized using whole-genome sequencing data and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The report also found that among patients with XDR shigellosis, the median patient age was 41 years, and 86.2 per cent were men.

“Whereas earlier US outbreaks involved drug-susceptible strains and primarily affected children, national surveillance data indicate that most [drug-resistant] cases occurred among men,” the CDC noted.

“Approximately one-third of patients were hospitalized.”

Among 116 persons with available HIV status, 46.6 per cent reported HIV co-infection.

The CDC called for “strengthened surveillance, timely reporting, and targeted prevention strategies to limit transmission of XDR Shigella strains”.

What Is Shigella And Why Is It Concerning?

Shigellosis is a highly infectious diarrheal illness caused by gram-negative bacteria. Symptoms typically include diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps, which can range from mild to severe.

The disease onset occurs typically within 1 to 3 days of ingestion of the bacteria, with fever, diarrhea, body aches, and headache.

Globally, the burden is significant. Estimates suggest around 188 million cases occur each year, leading to over 1.6 lakh deaths.

The infection spreads easily through contact with contaminated food, water, or surfaces, and even through person-to-person transmission. This makes it particularly concerning in travel settings such as hotels and resorts, where shared facilities are common.

Houseflies can also spread the bacteria. Flies transmit the bacteria from human feces to food, water, and surfaces, contributing to up to 37 percent of cases in some regions, according to a study published in the PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Shigella: Are Young Children At High Risk?

Speaking to HealthandMe, Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, Ex-President of IMA Cochin and Convener of the Research Cell, Kerala, explained that even a small number of bacteria—as few as 10 —is enough to cause infection.

It is because the Shigellosis bacteria “is able to withstand the hostile acidic environment of the human stomach. Outside the human body, it can stay alive in water for weeks together,” he said.

Shigella is most severe in children below the age of five, as their immune systems are less efficient at clearing the infection early.

“Adults also become ill, but acquired immunity from childhood keeps the infection mild in many instances,” the expert said.

“Shigella outbreaks can occur in crowded places such as anganwadis (creches), where children come into close physical contact with each other and share toys. Very young children also have the habit of putting their fingers in their mouths, which enables the bacteria to gain access to their gut,” Dr. Jayadevan added.

Shigella: How To Prevent

Dr. Jayadevan said. stressed the need for early recognition and treatment with appropriate antibiotics.

ORS can help prevent dehydration, while Zinc tablets can enhance recovery.

The CDC suggests several steps to avoid getting or spreading shigella, including:

• Wash your hands properly, especially after toilet use and before eating food.
• Avoid swallowing water while swimming.
• Follow safe food and water habits when traveling.
• If you or your partner is diagnosed with shigellosis, do not have sex for at least two weeks after symptoms end.