Published20 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBy Malu CursinoBBC NewsMarburg virus has killed five people in Tanzania’s north-western Kagera region, the health ministry has said.High fever is a common symptom of the deadly Ebola-like virus, often followed by bleeding and organ failure.Tanzania’s Health Minister Ummy Mwalimu said the disease had been contained and she was confident it would not spread further.Three people are being treated in hospital and authorities are tracing 161 contacts, Ms Mwalimu added.Tanzania’s strategy to control the spread was praised by the World Health Organization (WHO).WHO’s regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said: “The efforts by Tanzania’s health authorities to establish the cause of the disease is a clear indication of the determination to effectively respond to the outbreak.”Dr Moeti said WHO is working with Tanzania’s government to “rapidly scale up control measures to halt the spread of the virus”.The Marburg virus is a cousin of the equally deadly Ebola virus – part of the filovirus family – and it kills on average half of those infected, the WHO says.It is a severe, often fatal illness with symptoms including headache, fever, muscle pains, vomiting blood and bleeding.No vaccines or anti-viral treatments have been approved to treat the virus, the WHO has said, but it adds that rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids has improved survival.What is the Marburg virus? Recent Marburg infections and fatalities have been centred on the African continent, where hundreds of people have died from the virus in the past.The virus was first identified in 1967, after 31 people were infected and died simultaneously in Germany and Serbia. Since then, there have been outbreaks in Guinea, Uganda, Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya and South Africa, the WHO reports. Equatorial Guinea reported its first outbreak last month. According to the WHO and local authorities, at least nine people have died. Last July, two people in Ghana died from the virus and 98 contacts were quarantined. Two months later, the country declared the end of its outbreak.In 2021, Guinea health officials confirmed West Africa’s first case of the virus, while an outbreak in Angola in 2005 killed more than 300 people. Image source, Getty ImagesThe Egyptian rousette fruit bat often harbours the virus, but African green monkeys and pigs can also carry it.Among humans, it spreads through bodily fluids and contact with contaminated bedding.Additional reporting by Rhoda Odhiambo in Nairobi and Alfred Lasteck in Dar es SalaamMore on this storyWhat is the Marburg virus?19 July 2022Ghana confirms first cases of deadly Marburg virus18 July 2022Ebola-like Marburg virus found in Guinea10 August 2021

Published1 day agoSharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesHungary’s government has tightened its abortion rules, which will make the process of pursuing a termination more bureaucratic for pregnant women.From Thursday onwards, pregnant women will have to listen to the fetus’s heartbeat before having an abortion.Doctors will have to submit a report confirming that this has been done.Hungary’s nationalist government recently blamed increased rates of women in higher education for lower birth rates and a shrinking economy.In a decree issued on Monday, Hungary’s interior ministry urges gynaecologists, obstetricians, and other pre-natal healthcare providers to present pregnant women with a fetus’s vital functions in a “clearly identifiable way” from 15 September onwards. According to medical practice, the sign of a fetus’s vital functions can be a heartbeat. Far-right politician Dora Duro welcomed the decree, calling it a step towards “protecting all fetuses from conception”.Amnesty International Hungary said the amended decree would make it “harder to access legal and safe abortion”.Abortion has been legal in Hungary since 1953. The charity’s spokesman, Aron Demeter, told AFP the announcement was “definitely a worrying step back, a bad sign”. Hungary mums-of-four to pay no income taxHungarians warned education becoming ‘too feminine’Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has long sought to boost Hungary’s flagging birth rate and his right-wing government prides itself in standing for traditional family values.In 2019, Mr Orban announced that women with four children would be exempt from paying income tax for life.Hungary has faced criticism for its gender inequality for some time. After a visit in 2019, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovic accused the country of backsliding in gender equality and women’s rights. More on this storyHungary mums-of-four to pay no income tax11 February 2019Hungarians warned education becoming ‘too feminine’26 August

Published28 minutes agoSharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesBrazil and Spain have reported their first monkeypox deaths. A 41-year-old man in Brazil became the first fatality from the virus outside Africa. Spain announced its first death soon afterwards, which is also the first in Europe. Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency. But infections are usually mild and the risk to the general population is low.According to Brazil’s health ministry, the victim there suffered from lymphoma and a weakened immune system, and “comorbidities aggravated his condition”. Brazil has so far reported 1,066 confirmed cases and 513 suspected cases of the virus. Data from Brazil’s health ministry indicates that more than 98% of confirmed cases were in men who have sex with men.Shortly afterwards, Spain’s health ministry confirmed Europe’s first death from the virus. In a report, it said that of 3,750 monkeypox patients with available information, 120 or 3.2% had been hospitalised and one had died. It did not give any further information about the victim.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 21,148 cases worldwide.The monkeypox virus is a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe and experts say chances of infection are low.It occurs mostly in remote parts of central and west African countries, near tropical rainforests. Health officials are recommending people at highest risk of exposure to the virus – including some gay and bisexual men, as well as some healthcare workers – should be offered a vaccine.Last week, WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said declaring the outbreak a global health emergency would help speed up the development of vaccines and the implementation of measures to limit the spread of the virus.Dr Tedros said the risk of monkeypox is moderate globally, but high in Europe. But, he added, “this is an outbreak that can be stopped with the right strategies in the right groups”. The WHO is issuing recommendations, which it hopes will spur countries to take action to stop transmission of the virus and protect those most at risk.This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.More on this storyWHO declares highest alert over monkeypox6 days agoWhat is monkeypox and how do you catch it?19 July

SharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesGermany has become the latest European country to ban most travellers from Britain, to try to slow the spread of the Omicron variant.German nationals and residents will still be allowed to enter from the UK.They must have a negative test and quarantine for two weeks, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated.The measures took effect on Sunday evening. France has already introduced similar curbs as coronavirus infections surge in Britain.The Robert-Koch-Institut (RKI) – a federal health agency – announced the new rules as it classified the UK as a virus variant area of concern, the highest Covid risk level. Denmark, France, Norway and Lebanon have also been added to Germany’s high risk list and travel from those countries will also be restricted.The decision was made by the RKI on Saturday, when the UK reported 90,418 new Covid cases – following days of record highs. On Sunday, a further 82,886 cases were reported.Covid map: Where are cases the highest?How can I tell I have Omicron?What are France’s new rules for UK travellers?London Mayor Sadiq Khan declared a “major incident” in the capital on Saturday due to sharp rise in cases. On Saturday, 26,418 new cases reported – the highest number since the start of the pandemic.Scientific advisers have warned that England’s hospital admissions could reach 3,000 a day without further restrictions.Although the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany is lower than in the UK, with 50,968 new cases reported on Friday, the number of deaths following a positive Covid test is rising. Germany reported 437 deaths on Friday.German health minister Karl Lauterbach said he expected the Omicron variant to unleash a “massive fifth wave” of the pandemic.He said Germany had to prepare for a challenge “that we have never seen in this form before” and the “more we can push back… the better”.Speaking on broadcaster ARD on Sunday, Prof Lauterbach ruled out a lockdown before Christmas, saying: “There will not be a lockdown before Christmas here. But we will get a fifth wave – we have crossed a critical number of Omicron infections.”The corona-expert council of the federal government – an advisory group made up of 19 members – warned of a growing risk to Germany’s “critical infrastructure”, saying hospitals, health services and basic utilities could be disrupted if further steps were not taken. A number of restrictions are currently in place in Germany, most of them affecting unvaccinated people who are barred from most public places. Around 70% of the German population is now fully vaccinated. France is also worried about the spread of Omicron in the UK and authorities there banned UK tourists from travelling between the two countries on Saturday. Under its new rules, UK citizens now need a “compelling reason” to enter France, with trips for tourism or business banned.Hauliers, transport workers and French nationals are exempt. A rush of passengers travelling to France on Friday to beat the country’s ban on UK tourists led to a knock-on effect on freight traffic, resulting in long queues of lorries.Image source, PA MediaThere were lengthy tailbacks on the M20 motorway in Kent heading to Dover and at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel on Saturday.Many people brought their Christmas travel plans forward to avoid the new rules.Have you needed to change your travel plans due to the restrictions? Email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:WhatsApp: +44 7756 165803Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSayPlease read our terms & conditions and privacy policyOr use this form to get in touch:

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SharecloseShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesUK visitors are now able to travel to the US for the first time in nearly two years.The border reopened at 05:01 GMT and the first flights take off from Heathrow at 08:30 – but all UK visitors over 18 will have to provide proof of vaccination to enter the US. American travellers have been able to travel to the UK since 28 July. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has called this a “significant moment” for UK-US travel. Transatlantic flights, he added, are “at the heart of UK aviation”.In addition to the UK, the travel ban is being lifted for people from Brazil, China, India, Ireland, South Africa, Iran and the Schengen countries – a group of 26 European nations.What are the rules for travelling to the US now?New York gears up for tourists’ returnUntil now, only US citizens, residents and a small selection of other exempt groups have been allowed entry to the US from the UK.The new rules will apply to all individuals that have received vaccines approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and vaccines Listed for Emergency Use (EUL) by the World Health Organization. The White House’s assistant press secretary, Kevin Munoz, confirmed on 15 October that double vaccinated foreign nationals would be able to visit the US from 8 November. The US’ new travel policy that requires vaccination for foreign national travelers to the United States will begin on Nov 8. This announcement and date applies to both international air travel and land travel. This policy is guided by public health, stringent, and consistent. https://t.co/uaDiVrjtqi— Kevin Munoz (@KMunoz46) October 15, 2021
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on TwitterThe UK has been on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s highest risk category for Covid, level 4 or “very high” since 19 July.The CDC said that vaccines approved by the US FDA and WHO’s EUL vaccines will be accepted. Therefore, travellers that have received one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two doses of the following vaccines will be allowed to enter the US:Pfizer-BioNTechModerna AstraZeneca,CovaxinCovishieldBIBP/SinopharmSinovacTravellers must provide proof of vaccination via their vaccine passport. Certificates including the NHS Covid Pass will be accepted. As well as being double vaccinated, travellers will have to provide proof of either a negative Covid test result – taken no more than three days before travelling – or show that they have recovered from the virus in the previous three months.Children are exempt from the vaccination requirement, but all those aged between two and 17 will have to take a Covid-19 test three to five days after arrival.Fully jabbed American visitors travelling to the UK need to take a test on or before the second day of their arrival. After a difficult 21 months, airlines have increased UK-US flight schedules to meet the higher demand. US to lift travel ban on 8 NovemberTo celebrate the end of the travel ban, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will have a synchronised departure from Heathrow Airport.’Missed two weddings’One woman who had not seen her parents, brother or sister in nearly two years as they live in California, said the ban had been a “nightmare” for her family.Nadine Beasley missed the weddings of both her siblings, which had been scheduled to take place at the same time so she could attend with her husband and nine-year-old daughter.”Obviously the pandemic scuppered that,” she told BBC Breakfast.Image source, Nadine Beasley Unfortunately for Mrs Beasley, her brother’s wedding took place in May and her sister’s was just over a week before the ban was lifted.She has finally been able to book a flight to December to see them, but said the opening up of travel left her with with mixed feelings, as it felt a bit “too late for us”.Mrs Beasley said: “I bawled my eyes out and I think it was a mixture of elation and also frustration and honestly a bit of grief.”Grieving the loss of knowing I’ve missed out on massive life events with everybody.”What are the rules for travelling back to the UK?Before travelling, fully jabbed passengers entering the UK no longer have to take a Covid test before travelling. This applies to all individuals that have been vaccinated in the UK, the EU, the US and several other countries – Brazil, India, Pakistan and South Africa are some of the countries included in the list.However, passengers have to prove they have been vaccinated before travelling. In addition to this, they have to take a lateral flow test two days after arrival in the UK. Read more on Covid travel rules here.WE ARE FAMILY, AREN’T WE?: What makes someone part of the familyPEAKY BLINDERS’ CILLIAN MURPHY: Listen to his perfect after-dark playlistForeign travel advice – GOV.UKThe BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.