Johannesburg – The Rwandan authorities say that the strong surveillance they have in place is preventing the spread of Ebola from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) into their country.
Malic Kayumba, the head of communications at the Rwanda Biomedical Centre, told the East African that there were no cases of Ebola in the country as daily investigations on the surveillance system would have informed border officials of such.
This assertion follows the World Health Organisation (WHO) warning that a fishmonger infected with Ebola may have crossed from the DRC into Rwanda’s border town of Gisenyi.
The WHO has also stated that the spread of the deadly virus is now an international health emergency.
A woman was reported to have vomited at a market in Mpondwe on the Ugandan border last Thursday before returning to DR Congo and dying from the virus.
“Upon leaving Uganda, she is suspected to have gone to Goma in DRC and later to Gisenyi in Rwanda with unknown business interests. Later, she is believed to have sought care in a private clinic in Beni. The local community learnt about her death two days ago and still attributes it to miscarriage or witchcraft,” WHO said on Wednesday.
Twelve high-risk contacts with the woman have been identified by the UN health agency as Rwanda warns its citizens about travelling to the eastern DRC.
Meanwhile, Kigali has trained 23 000 medical personnel, police officers and volunteers in preparation to fight any possible outbreak.