Latest: UAE advises travellers from Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea to isolate
The deadly Marburg virus has reached Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea, with a total of 21 cases confirmed in the countries.
The World Health Organisation is working with both countries to tackle the outbreaks by providing expert assistance and supplying vital materials.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have warned citizens against travelling to Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea over the outbreaks.
Equatorial Guinea last month announced that the Ebola-like disease had spread from rural areas of the country to the commercial capital Bata. It has confirmed at least 13 cases to date, while in Tanzania, in the west of the continent, at least five people have died among eight cases.
Cameroon detected two suspected cases of Marburg virus in February, soon after initial reports of an unknown, deadly haemorrhagic fever in neighbouring Equatorial Guinea.
Another suspected case was identified in Spain's Valencia region in the same month.
Marburg is still considered “a very rare disease in people”, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, but “when it occurs, it has the potential to spread” and can be fatal.
Sometimes involving bleeding from the ears and eyes, the disease has emerged several times over the past half century or so.
Emergency preparations were under way in Ghana in July 2022 for a potential outbreak of the deadly Marburg disease after two people were reported to have died from infection.
It can kill about nine in 10 of those infected.
There have been 12 major Marburg outbreaks since it was first discovered in 1967 in Germany, mostly in southern and eastern Africa.
Here we look at Marburg disease, where it comes from, how it spreads and what is being done to contain the latest outbreak.
What happened in the last outbreak?
This is the first West African case of Marburg that occurred in July 2022, resulted in the patient dying. It was only after postmortem lab tests that the cause of death was identified and the World Health Organisation was informed.
Intensive contact-tracing was carried out to prevent further spread, with officials getting in touch with more than 140 people who may have been exposed to the virus.
What is Marburg virus disease?
This disease is named after the German town where, along with Frankfurt and Belgrade, it was identified in 1967 after spreading from laboratory monkeys imported from Uganda.
Other outbreaks have happened in Uganda, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and South Africa.
Cases have also been reported in the US and the Netherlands, although these were traced back to Uganda.
The virus originates in fruit bats, which do not fall ill but pass the pathogen to people, directly or through other species such as monkeys or, possibly, pigs.
It spreads between humans when blood or other bodily fluids from an infected person come into contact with the broken skin or mucous membranes (such as those in the mouth, nose or eyes) of another person.
The WHO reports that the disease can also be caught from contaminated surfaces or materials, such as clothing or bedding.
No drugs or treatment
It takes between two days and three weeks for the disease to emerge after exposure to the virus.
Symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle aches and pains, diarrhoea and vomiting.
Patients may have what is described as a “ghostlike” appearance as the disease progresses, the WHO said.
Severe bleeding may develop in the gums and nose, along with areas where blood samples have been taken or intravenous drips inserted.
Fever continues and the patient may become aggressive or confused.
Death may result a little more than a week after symptoms show.
In the largest outbreak, in 2005 in Angola, 329 of the 374 cases proved fatal — a rate of 88 per cent.
While no medicine works against the Marburg virus specifically (although drugs and immune therapies are being developed), treatment of symptoms and rehydration improve survival.
What happens now?
No outbreak since the one in 2005 has caused more than a handful of deaths, so officials hope to contain this latest emergence.
The WHO said that it was increasing its epidemiological surveillance in Equatorial Guinea.
The Central African country has so far reported nine deaths as well as 16 suspected cases of Marburg virus disease, with symptoms including fever, fatigue and bloodstained vomit and diarrhoea.
“Surveillance in the field has been intensified,” said George Ameh, WHO's country representative in Equatorial Guinea.
“Contact tracing, as you know, is a cornerstone of the response. We have ... redeployed the Covid-19 teams that were there for contact tracing and quickly retrofitted them to really help us out.”
Equatorial Guinea has quarantined more than 200 people and restricted movement last week in its Kie-Ntem province, where the haemorrhagic fever was first detected.
“We're working on a 30-day response plan where we should be able to quantify what are the exact measures and quantify what are the exact needs,” Mr Ameh said.
While there is a high risk of the disease causing further cases nationally, the WHO said, the chances of global outbreak are low.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
SPECS
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if you go
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
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ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
MATCH INFO
Aston Villa 1 (Konsa 63')
Sheffield United 0
Red card: Jon Egan (Sheffield United)
FIGHT%20CARD
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The%20Afghan%20connection
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
FIGHT%20CARD
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
