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.

Amid earthquake rescue efforts, Venezuela has reported an outbreak of rat-borne hantavirus that has claimed three lives so far, according to the country's health ministry.

Three people with confirmed hantavirus infection died in the eastern state of Anzoátegui. Two other deaths—both involving health professionals in the state of Barinas—are still under investigation and are not linked to the Anzoátegui cases, the ministry said.

"We report the regrettable deaths of three patients in Anzoátegui with confirmed diagnoses of hantavirus," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry added that there is "no scientific evidence of person-to-person transmission in our country," noting that the virus is primarily spread by rodents in rural and agricultural areas.

The fresh cases are reported barely two weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the hantavirus outbreak linked to the MV Hondius luxury expedition ship, which infected 11 people and claimed three lives earlier this year.

What Is Hantavirus?

According to the WHO, hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses that naturally infect rodents and are occasionally transmitted to humans. In humans, the infection can cause severe illness and may be fatal, although symptoms vary depending on the virus strain and geographic region.

The virus is primarily transmitted through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings, saliva, and, less commonly, through scratches or bites.

According to the CDC, symptoms can appear one to eight weeks after exposure, initially presenting fatigue, fever, and muscle aches. As the disease progresses, it can cause coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness as fluid accumulates in the lungs.

Also read: Can Hantavirus Spread Through Semen And Breast Milk? What Experts Say

What The Virus Does To The Brain

A recent review published in JAMA Neurology highlights the often-overlooked neurologic complications of hantavirus infection. Hantaviruses cause two major clinical syndromes:

• Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), seen mainly in the Americas, primarily affects the lungs and cardiovascular system and has a mortality rate of 35% to 50%. Neurologic complications can include headache, delirium, seizures, and, in rare cases, brain hemorrhage or post-viral encephalitis.

• Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS), which is endemic to Asia and Eastern Russia, presents with fever and kidney involvement and is more commonly associated with direct neurologic complications.

Headaches, Vision Problems, and Hormonal Disorders

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Researchers from the US National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke reviewed data from 811 patients infected with the Puumala strain of HFRS.

They found that 97% experienced headaches, 40% reported blurred vision, and 31% experienced vomiting. About 1% developed severe complications such as meningitis or encephalitis, while rare cases involved peripheral neuropathy or stroke.

Pituitary damage was identified as a significant complication of HFRS. It can lead to hormonal disorders weeks or even months after infection. These may include fatigue, adrenal insufficiency, diabetes insipidus, sexual dysfunction, amenorrhea, and symptoms of hypothyroidism.

The studies also reported cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities, sudden vision loss among hantavirus patients.

Long-Term Effects and Treatment

The long-term neurologic consequences of hantavirus remain poorly understood, according to Avindra Nath of the NIH. However, one study found that 20 years after Puumala infection, 78% of patients had persistent hypertension and 8% had chronic kidney disease.

Currently, there are no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antiviral treatments or licensed vaccines for hantavirus infection, although several vaccine candidates are in preclinical trials. Several antiviral drugs—including favipiravir, molnupiravir, griffithsin, and ribavirin—have shown promise in early studies, but more research is needed, Nath said.

Nearly all countries are overusing antibiotics—particularly those meant for specific conditions—fueling the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), according to a study published in The Lancet Public Health.

The study, led by researchers from the Universities of London and Oxford, found that 99% of countries overuse "Watch" antibiotics, while 60% continue to use antibiotics that the World Health Organization (WHO) advises should no longer be prescribed.

"Our findings show the world faces a double challenge – while some antibiotics are being overused, millions of people may still lack access to the medicines they need to treat their infections," said Aislinn Cook, lead author and Senior Research Fellow in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology at City St George's, University of London.

Understanding WHO's AWaRe Classification

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The WHO groups antibiotics into three categories under its AWaRe framework:

• Access antibiotics: First-line medicines, such as amoxicillin, recommended for most common bacterial infections.
• Watch antibiotics: Broader-spectrum drugs that should be reserved for specific infections when Access antibiotics are ineffective.
• Reserve antibiotics: Last-resort treatments for severe drug-resistant infections.

In 2024, UN member states agreed that at least 70% of global antibiotic use should come from the Access group by 2030.

What the Study Found

Researchers estimated that around 43 billion antibiotic courses were needed globally in 2019—roughly one course per person per year to treat bacterial infections. About 77% of these should have been Access antibiotics, suggesting the UN's 70% target is achievable.

However, analysis of antibiotic use across 67 countries revealed widespread inappropriate prescribing:

• Nearly three-quarters of countries used more antibiotics overall than required.
• 99% of countries overused Watch antibiotics, increasing the risk of antimicrobial resistance.
• More than half of countries and territories underused Reserve antibiotics, potentially limiting treatment options for patients with life-threatening drug-resistant infections.
• 60% of countries continued using antibiotics that WHO recommends should no longer be prescribed.

Read More: 645 Million People Went Hungry in 2025; Middle East Conflict Driving Food Prices: UN

Global Inequality in Antibiotic Access

The study also highlighted major disparities in antibiotic access. Researchers noted that low- and middle-income countries, which bear a higher burden of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance, often need greater access to specialized Watch and Reserve antibiotics.

Yet these medicines are used more frequently in high-income countries, pointing to unequal access rather than clinical need.

Antibiotic Resistance Rising Among Children

A separate study found that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are increasingly leaving children vulnerable to common infections.

The research, led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and covering 82 countries, found that antibiotic resistance increased across every region between 2004 and 2022, making many life-saving drugs used to treat common childhood infections less effective.

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study found that babies, children in intensive care, and those living in countries with limited healthcare resources are the most affected.

What Can Be Done?

Researchers called for stronger national policies to curb unnecessary antibiotic prescribing while ensuring patients who genuinely need specialized antibiotics can access them.

They stressed that improving access will require coordinated action at both local and national levels. This includes:

• ensuring quality-assured antibiotics are available and affordable in frontline healthcare settings,
• procuring the right antibiotics in adequate quantities,
• strengthening surveillance of antibiotic use,
• setting country-specific prescribing targets based on local disease burden and public health needs.

Do partners and spouses of those suffering from dementia face a higher risk of the disease themselves? A nationwide study involving more than 955,000 married adults has found that people whose spouse develops dementia may face a significantly higher risk of developing the condition themselves.

The study, published in JAMA Network Open, adds to growing evidence that dementia risk may not be influenced by genetics and lifestyle alone, but also by the shared environments, lifestyles and experiences couples build over decades.

How Was The Study Conducted?

Also read: Neurological Disorders Emerging As India's Next Major Public Health Challenge, Say Experts

Researchers analyzed health data from 955,105 married individuals in Taiwan to examine whether being married to someone with dementia influences a person's own likelihood of developing the disease.

The researchers found that spouses of people with dementia had a substantially higher risk of developing dementia themselves compared with those whose partners did not have the condition.

Among women, having a spouse with dementia was associated with a 74% higher risk of developing dementia (hazard ratio [HR] 1.74). Among men, the risk was 69% higher (HR 1.69).

The association remained consistent across different forms of dementia, including:

• Alzheimer's disease
• Vascular dementia
• Other types of dementia

The association appeared to be weaker among couples with higher household incomes or more children, suggesting that social and family support may help reduce some of the caregiving burden.

Dementia Is Not Contagious

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The findings do not suggest that dementia spreads from one spouse to another. Instead, researchers believe the increased risk is likely driven by several shared factors that accumulate over years of living together. These include:

• Similar dietary habits
• Shared physical activity patterns
• Common environmental exposures
• Cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes and hypertension
• Psychological stress associated with caregiving
• Reduced social engagement and chronic emotional strain

Because married couples often share many aspects of daily life, they may also share health risks that influence cognitive ageing.

Is Caregiving A Factor?

Also read: Cannabis-Based Treatment Shows Promise In Easing Agitation In Dementia: New Clinical Trial

When one partner develops dementia, the other often becomes the primary caregiver. Caregiving can involve years of emotional stress, disrupted sleep, depression, social isolation and physical exhaustion.

Older research has shown that chronic stress may negatively affect brain health through hormonal, inflammatory and vascular pathways, potentially contributing to cognitive decline.

The authors wrote, "The association was evident on relative and absolute scales and varied by family and socioeconomic context."

They added that future studies should directly measure caregiving intensity, lifestyle factors and other shared pathways to better understand why spouses appear to face an elevated dementia risk.

The findings suggest that healthcare providers should pay attention not only to people diagnosed with dementia but also to their spouses. Experts say spouses may benefit from:

• Regular cognitive screening
• Mental health support
• Caregiver assistance programmes
• Stress management
• Maintaining physical activity and social engagement
• Managing blood pressure, diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors

Early recognition of cognitive changes may allow interventions that help delay progression and improve quality of life.

Where You Live Matters Too

According to recent studies, various factors could influence your risk of developing dementia. Researchers from the University of Southern California studied health data from more than 214,000 adults across 21 countries.

They found that while many well-known dementia risk factors are universal, their impact can vary significantly depending on a person's country.

Previous research has estimated that nearly 45% of dementia cases could potentially be delayed or prevented by addressing modifiable risk factors, including controlling blood pressure, managing diabetes, staying physically active, treating hearing loss, avoiding smoking, and maintaining social life.