Emergency preparations are under way in Ghana for a potential outbreak of the deadly Marburg disease after two people were reported to have died from infection.
Similar to Ebola, the highly contagious virus kills about 88 per cent of people it infects, causing uncontrollable bleeding from the eyes and nose, a breakdown of the central nervous system and death in about nine days.
Health officials warned the pathogen could be the next public threat, with the World Health Organisation describing it as “epidemic-prone,” meaning it can spread easily between people if not prevented.
Two recorded cases in Accra were unrelated, meaning one did not infect the other. The people affected were taken to a district hospital in the Ashanti region after showing symptoms of diarrhoea, fever, nausea and vomiting.
Authorities are escalating plans to prepare for a possible outbreak on a wider scale, once samples from the two patients are further analysed at the Institut Pasteur in Senegal, a WHO Collaborating Centre.
“The health authorities are on the ground investigating the situation and preparing for a possible outbreak response,” said Dr Francis Kasolo, WHO's representative in Ghana, in a statement on its website.
“We are working closely with the country to ramp up detection, track contacts, be ready to control the spread of the virus.”
The first recorded cases of the virus occurred simultaneously in Marburg and Frankfurt in Germany, and in Belgrade, in 1967.
They were associated with laboratory work using African green monkeys imported from Uganda.
Outbreaks have since been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Uganda.
A further case of Marburg was recorded in South Africa in a person with recent travel history to Zimbabwe.
Cases remain rare. In the past 40 years, international travel has taken the disease from Africa to Europe only twice, with the largest known outbreak in Angola in 2004, when more than 250 people were infected.
Human infection usually occurs following prolonged exposure to caves or mines inhabited by colonies of the Rousettus bat.
Transmission spreads through humans via direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and via surfaces and materials such as contaminated clothing or bedding.
Symptoms usually appear quickly, with high fever, severe headache, muscle aches, stomach cramps nausea and vomiting by day three.
Patients often take on a ghostlike appearance with drawn features and an expressionless face before spontaneous bleeding occurs.
While there is no proven treatment available, a range of potential treatments including blood products, immune therapies and drug therapies are currently being evaluated.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
