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Yemen accounting for 35 per cent of worldwide cholera cases

News:

War-torn Yemen is suffering from an epidemic of cholera.

The Yemen reported nearly 250,000 suspected cases and 861 associated deaths as of December 1, accounting for 35 per cent of worldwide cholera cases and 18 per cent of related deaths this year, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on December 23, 2024.

Yemen experienced its largest cholera outbreak in recent history from 2017 to 2020, with transmission persisting ever since.

Rwanda declares end of Marburg outbreak

Rwanda has successfully managed its first-ever Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) outbreak officially declared over after a 42-day countdown.

MVD, previously known as Marburg hemorrhagic fever, is a severe and often fatal illness in humans, with an average case fatality rate of around 50 percent.

The virus is initially transmitted to humans from fruit bats and spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected individuals, as well as contaminated surfaces and materials.

The disease is named for Marburg, the German city where scientists became ill with the disease’s first known cases in 1967, while handling monkeys imported from Uganda.

Most outbreaks in the past have been reported from sub-Saharan African countries. These include Tanzania, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Uganda, Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Zimbabwe.

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