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.

In a landmark medical achievement, NYU Langone Health in the United States has successfully carried out the world's first lung transplant from an HIV-positive donor to an HIV-positive recipient.

Researchers described the procedure carried out on 56-year-old Bertrand Nelson, living with HIV for nearly 26 years, as a "watershed moment for the HIV-positive community". They noted that the medical feat could significantly expand the pool of organ donors available to people living with HIV.

"While these transplants are still only allowable under certain research protocols, this marks an expansion of options for people in need of a lifesaving organ," said Sapna Mehta, Clinical Director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute.

A New Frontier in Organ Transplantation

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The transplant was performed under research protocols established through the 2013 HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act, which allows organs from HIV-positive donors to be transplanted into HIV-positive recipients in approved research settings.

According to the researchers, while HIV-positive donor transplants involving hearts and abdominal organs have been performed previously, this was the first time such a procedure was successfully carried out for the lungs.

"Transplantation of hearts and abdominal organs has been done before, but this has not been done in lung transplantation," said Mark A. Sonnick, transplant pulmonologist at NYU Langone Transplant Institute.

Approximately 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV. Thanks to modern antiretroviral therapy (ART), most people with HIV can now live long, healthy lives, have near-normal life expectancy, and are unable to transmit the virus when treatment is effective.

Bertrand Nelson Gets Dual-Organ Transplant

Nelson was diagnosed with both HIV and sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that can affect multiple organs, particularly the lungs, in 2000. At the time, doctors said the condition was in remission.

However, in 2021, Nelson contracted Legionnaires' disease, a severe form of pneumonia that required weeks of hospitalization. The illness reactivated his sarcoidosis, which subsequently spread to his liver.

By 2024, his condition had deteriorated significantly. He required increasing amounts of oxygen to breathe and was referred to the NYU Langone Transplant Institute for evaluation for both lung and liver transplantation.

Following assessment under the HOPE Act research program, Nelson was approved for a dual-organ transplant.

On March 21, surgeons transplanted both a new set of lungs and a new liver during the same operation, making medical history.

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Life After Surgery

In a statement, NYU Langone said Nelson is doing well after the complex surgery.

"Nelson is now off oxygen for the first time in four years and getting back in shape after years of limited mobility," the statement read.

Nelson credited his mother, who will turn 82 in August, for her unwavering support throughout his health struggles.

"I want to be well for her," Nelson said. "I want her to see me thriving."

Hope for People Living With HIV

Nelson hopes his experience will encourage others and draw attention to the need for greater access to organ transplantation within the HIV community.

"There are so many others who need access to this level of care, and the more organs that become available, the better the odds of finding the right match and living a long life," he said.

Can People With HIV Get A Transplant?

As per the US National Institutes of Health, people with HIV can successfully donate or receive transplanted organs with reasonable success rates.

However, health care providers must consider and monitor potential drug interactions, kidney and liver function, and HIV viral suppression in people with HIV receiving a transplant. Further, the NIH advised HIV positive patients to continue taking all prescribed HIV medicines before and after transplant.

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has surpassed 1,000 confirmed cases, according to the latest update from the country's Health Ministry.

In a statement posted on X, the ministry said as of June 20, the outbreak has resulted in 1,003 confirmed cases and 254 deaths, with a case fatality rate of 25.3 per cent

More than 100 people have recovered from the disease, while 365 patients are currently in isolation or receiving hospital treatment.

"The threshold of 1,000 confirmed cases has been crossed. Despite this progression, response teams continue active investigations, epidemiological surveillance, and prevention actions in affected areas," the ministry said.

"The response to the Ebola virus disease continues in the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu, with an improvement in the number of recoveries but a decrease in the contact follow-up rate," the ministry added.

Health Workers Increasingly Affected

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The outbreak is also taking a growing toll on healthcare workers. According to the DRC's National Public Health Institute, at least 78 nurses, doctors, and other healthcare workers have contracted the disease during the outbreak, and 18 have died.

Abdou Sebushishe, medical lead in Congo for the International Medical Corps, said all infected healthcare workers were exposed outside dedicated Ebola treatment facilities, Bloomberg reported.

The current outbreak involves the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which often begins with symptoms similar to malaria and other common illnesses.

Because early symptoms can be difficult to distinguish, healthcare workers may come into contact with infected patients before Ebola is suspected and strict infection-control measures are implemented.

Sebushishe said infections among healthcare workers have been linked to several factors, including:

• Inadequate infection-control practices
• Shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE)
• Limited training for healthcare staff
• Weak disease surveillance systems in health facilities.

Israel Reports 2 Suspected Cases

Meanwhile, Israel's Health Ministry has reported two suspected Ebola cases involving individuals who recently returned from Congo.

Officials stressed that Ebola infection has not yet been confirmed, and laboratory testing is underway. Results are expected in the coming days, according to local media reports.

The ministry said it is conducting an epidemiological investigation to identify contacts and assess any potential links between the suspected cases.

According to the Health Ministry, Israel has never recorded a confirmed Ebola case. During the major West African Ebola outbreak in 2014, several suspected cases were investigated, but all ultimately tested negative.

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What Is Ebola?

Ebola is a severe and often fatal viral hemorrhagic fever first identified in 1976. Since then, more than 30 outbreaks have been recorded, primarily in Central and West Africa.

Common symptoms include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Weakness and fatigue
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Muscle pain
• Sore throat
• Unexplained bleeding or bruising

In severe cases, the disease can lead to organ failure, internal bleeding, shock, and death. Aid organizations warn that without stronger surveillance, expanded testing, faster laboratory turnaround times, and more effective contact tracing, the outbreak could continue to grow in the coming weeks and months.

Australia has officially lost its status as the last continent free of the H5N1 bird flu virus after authorities confirmed the highly pathogenic strain on the mainland.

The highly contagious H5N1 variant of avian influenza has now been detected on every continent, marking a significant moment in the disease's global spread.

H5N1 Confirmed In Two Wild Birds

The virus was first detected in a migratory seabird, a brown skua, found on a beach in Cape Le Grand National Park near Esperance in Western Australia, around 700 km southeast of Perth.

Authorities later confirmed a second positive case in a northern giant petrel found on a remote beach along Western Australia's south coast.

Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said testing conducted by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) confirmed both birds were infected with H5N1 avian influenza.

"We all knew we couldn't be bird flu-free forever," Collins told a press conference.

No Evidence of Widespread Outbreak Yet

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Despite the discovery, officials say there is currently no evidence of mass wildlife deaths or spread into Australia's poultry industry.

Collins said Australian poultry and agricultural systems remain free of bird flu and authorities are investigating whether the virus has become established in local wildlife populations.

"We are working to determine whether the H5 bird flu has established in the wildlife of Australia, other than these two isolated birds," she said.

Samples from the infected birds will undergo further analysis over the coming week as researchers look for signs of transmission to other species.

Further, Western Australia's Chief Veterinary Officer Michelle Rodan said authorities had received 58 reports of sick or dead birds through an emergency hotline between Friday and Sunday afternoon. Nine samples have so far been collected for testing.

Why Australia Had Remained H5N1-Free

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Until now, Australia was the only continent where the H5N1 strain had not been detected. Although the virus has circulated across Asia since the 1990s and reached Antarctica in 2024, Australia had remained unaffected.

According to Dr. Michelle Wille, ARC Future Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Australia's unique bird migration patterns likely delayed the virus's arrival.

"There are no duck species which routinely migrate between Australia and Asia, nor are there ducks that migrate through Antarctica," Wille wrote in The Conversation.

However, evidence suggests other seabirds—including gulls, skuas and giant petrels—may have helped carry the virus over long distances across Antarctica and subantarctic regions, eventually bringing it closer to Australia, he said.

Why H5N1 Is A Concern

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H5N1 is a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza that can spread rapidly among poultry and wild bird populations, causing severe disease and high mortality rates in birds.

While human infections remain rare, they can occur through direct and unprotected contact with infected birds, animals, or contaminated environments.

Although severe human cases have historically shown a mortality rate of around 50%, sustained human-to-human transmission has not been observed.

How To Protect Yourself

Health authorities recommend the following precautions:

• Avoid direct contact with sick or dead wild birds and other animals whenever possible.
• Observe wildlife from a safe distance.
• Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) if handling sick or dead birds or animals is unavoidable.
• Avoid touching surfaces contaminated with bird droppings, saliva, mucus, litter, or bedding from infected or suspected animals.
• Do not consume raw milk or raw milk products, particularly from animals suspected or confirmed to be infected with avian influenza.
• Report sick or dead birds to local authorities if encountered.