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.

Even as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert for heatwave and rising temperature in Delhi, the state government issued guidelines for all schools, focusing on hydration and safety measures.

The IMD has forecast heatwave conditions at isolated places in Delhi from today, with maximum temperatures expected to climb between 41 °C and 44 °C through April 24.

The guidelines issued by the Directorate of Education (National Capital Territory of Delhi) are applied to all government-aided and private unaided recognized schools. The guidelines call for:

Outdoor Assemblies: Outdoor assemblies are to be curtailed or conducted in shaded/indoor areas with minimal duration. No open-air classes are to be conducted.

Water Bell Initiative: Schools shall implement a "Water Bell" system, whereby a bell is rung at regular intervals (every 45-60 minutes), reminding students to drink water to prevent dehydration.

Display of IEC Material: IEC (Information, Education and Communication) material issued by the Health Department, Government of NCT of Delhi, on heat wave precautions shall be prominently displayed at visible locations in schools, including notice boards, corridors, and classrooms.

Awareness Sessions: Schools shall conduct short awareness sessions/briefings for students during class hours/assembly to educate them about preventive measures, the importance of hydration, and the identification of symptoms of heat-related illnesses. Immediate first aid and medical attention must be ensured wherever required.

Buddy System: Establishing a buddy system wherein each student may be paired up with another student during school hours to monitor and take care of each other's physical well-being.

Outdoor Activities: It must be ensured that students avoid outdoor physical activities.

Regular Advisory Updates: Class teachers shall share advisories of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) with parents through their respective class-specific WhatsApp groups, ensuring regular guidance and awareness regarding heat safety measures. Schools shall share daily heat wave forecasts and alerts with students through prayer time/assembly and notice boards to ensure timely awareness and necessary precautions.

Appropriate Clothing and Personal Hygiene: Parents are advised to ensure that their wards come to school dressed in light, breathable cotton clothing. They should also reinforce the importance of personal hygiene, including daily bathing, to help children stay fresh and reduce the impact of heat.

The DoE also directed each school to designate nodal officers who will be responsible for the implementation of monitoring the water bell initiative, awareness sessions, and display of IEC materials.

Heat-Related Illnesses: Symptoms And First Aid Measures

The DoE noted that the symptoms of heat-related illnesses include:

• Nausea and increased sweating
• Vomiting
• Acts or talks confused
• Muscle cramps
• Fainting,
• Weakness,
• Dizziness
• Body temperature rises to 40.5°C (105°F) or higher

First aid measures to follow if you feel dizzy or uneasy

• Drink water to rehydrate
• Move to a cooler place immediately
• Loosen clothes if possible
• Sponge with water
• If unconscious, do not force-feed or give water
• If symptoms persist, immediately visit the nearest health centre or call an ambulance.

Heatwave In India: Which States Are On Alert?

Beyond Delhi, a heatwave alert has been issued for:

• East Uttar Pradesh from April 21 to 25.
• Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and West Uttar Pradesh from April 22 to 25,
• Odisha and Rajasthan between April 23 and 25.
• Gangetic West Bengal and Bihar for April 21 and 22,
• Vidarbha from April 24 to 26.

The vaccine-preventable measles is surging worldwide, especially in the US. The outbreaks that began in Texas last year are now spreading to several other states, with Utah being the new center of the highly contagious disease.

The US, which eliminated measles in 2000, is also at great risk of losing its status, as the CDC reported 1,748 confirmed cases across 33 jurisdictions between January 1 and April 16, 2026. Over 94 per cent of these cases are linked to ongoing outbreaks, the CDC said.

While the best way to prevent infection remains the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, anti-vaxxers, goaded by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have stayed away from the vaccine.

However, watching an outbreak rip through their state has made the deadly realities of the disease more concrete.

Amid the soaring cases, Bloomberg News reported a quiet change among anti-vaxxers, as they have started to question their own deeply held beliefs and the conspiracy theories that fueled them.

Many of them have taken the MMR vaccination and then also posted emotional TikTok videos aimed at the anti-vax crowd, saying, “You can change your mind”.

Read More: Measles Again On The Rise Globally: Is India At Risk?

Measles: Rise In MMR Vaccine Uptake

In several measles hotspots, there has been an uptake in the MMR shot that is slowing down the outbreaks, the report said.

The health department in South Carolina saw a nearly 170 per cent increase in MMR immunizations at free clinics in January from the year prior and is close to declaring its outbreak over.

MMR vaccines jumped 15 per cent in Texas last year before the state declared its outbreak over in August. Utah’s health department has also recorded a bump in immunizations since last summer, a hopeful sign for the country’s most active current outbreak.

The report cited that doctors are playing a key role in trying to build trust with no pressure or judgment. They are easing the anti-vaxxers' concerns and giving them the crucial assurance that their choice is deeply personal and private.

“For whatever reason, they have different information,” Stuart Simko, a pediatrician in Greer, South Carolina, was quoted as saying.

“You don't have to tell anybody you gave your child any sort of vaccine,” Simko added.

Lisa Carroll, a physician in South Carolina and professor at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, helps run a weekly outreach program at a local food pantry where she’s increasingly encountered more families asking about the MMR. Many of them aren’t explicitly anti-vaccine; they just don’t know much about the shot or where to get it, she said. It was just easier for some of them to sign an exemption form, the report said.

In these cases, education on the true risk and safety of the MMR has led to that change of mindset, Carroll said.

How Effective Is the Measles Vaccine? Who Needs A Booster Shot?

Also read: Vaccinated And Still Worried? Truth About Measles Vaccine Safety And Effectiveness

One dose of the MMR vaccine gives about 95 per cent protection against measles. If a second dose is given—usually between 4 and 6 years old—protection shoots up to about 99 per cent.

The vaccine is also 99 per cent effective against rubella and 88 per cent against mumps after the second dose. This is the reason why the two-dose schedule is the international norm. Indeed, measles vaccination alone is responsible for more than 60 per cent of all childhood lives saved by vaccines worldwide over the past 50 years.

In general, a measles vaccine booster may be advisable for:

• Children who received only one dose of the MMR vaccine
• Adults who were vaccinated with the inactivated version between 1963 and 1967
• High-risk adults, such as healthcare workers or international travellers
• Anyone whose blood test shows a lack of immunity.

The UK Parliament has passed a “landmark bill” to ban smoking among children who were born on or after 1 January 2009.

Under the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill, people aged 17 or younger face a lifelong ban on buying cigarettes.

Both the House of Commons and Lords settled on a final draft of the legislation that aims to create a smoke-free generation.

Once it gets the royal assent, ministers will be able to regulate tobacco, vaping, and nicotine products, including their flavors as well as packaging.

“This afternoon marks the end of this bill’s journey throughout parliament. It is a landmark bill; it will create a smoke-free generation,” Health minister Baroness Merron told the House of Lords on Monday.

“It is, in fact, the biggest public health intervention in a generation, and I can assure all noble Lords it will save lives.”

Noting that the Bill “does upset a great many people in that industry”, including retailers", Lord Naseby, a Conservative former MP, called for "a proper understanding of how we educate people not to take up smoking”.

What Is The Tobacco and Vapes Bill

It was first proposed by former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak On 4 October 2023 at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester. He shared plans to phase out cigarette smoking in the UK by raising the minimum age to purchase cigarettes from 18 each year, every year, until eventually no person can legally buy cigarettes. A similar proposal was made by the Labour Party earlier that year.

Plans for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, legislation implementing such a ban, were announced in the King's Speech during the 2023 State Opening of Parliament.

The bill passed its first reading on 20 March 2024 and its second reading on 16 April 2024.

Also read: Banning Tobacco Can Save 1.2 million Lives By 2095

On 24 October 2024, the new government announced a ban on the sale of single use vapes, effective from June 2025, in an effort to address environmental concerns and the rising prevalence of vaping among children.

Under the new Bill,

• It is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009
• It restricts advertising and sales of nicotine products. This includes a ban on selling vapes to anyone under 18 and selling them through vending machines.
• The bill also allows the regulation of vaping products
• The Bill expands smoke-free areas to include playgrounds and locations near schools and hospitals.

Also read: UK Bans Disposable Vape: Will This Really Stop Young People And Reduce Waste?

How Does Smoking Kill?

Smoking is the most common risk factor and the single biggest cause of preventable death for a host of diseases, ranging from respiratory diseases to tuberculosis to cancer.

Smoking damages the human body and causes

• stillbirths,
• asthma,
• heart disease,
• stroke
• Dementia
• lung cancer
• other cancers.