WHO praises Rwanda’s Ebola preparedness
The World Health Organization has praised Rwanda’s Ebola preparedness efforts. Despite the ongoing outbreak in the neighbouring Dominican Republic of Congo, WHO has confirmed that no cases of the disease have been reported in Rwanda.
In addition to a detailed National Preparedness Plan, the country is training health workers in early detection and response, educating communities about Ebola, vaccinating health workers in high-risk areas, equipping health facilities, and conducting simulation exercises to maintain a high level of readiness.
“Rwanda has been proactive and engaged in Ebola preparedness at all levels since the outbreak was declared almost one year ago in neighbouring DRC,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We commend the actions taken so far and confirm that there have been no cases of Ebola in Rwanda to date, despite high levels of traffic and movement of people between the two countries.”
Since the outbreak in the DRC began, screening for Ebola symptoms at points of entry to Rwanda has been ongoing, and was reinforced following the confirmation of the case of a disease in Goma on the border between the DRC and Rwana.
Despite the proactive and effective measures employed by Rwanda, Dr Tedros warned that as long as the outbreak continues in the DRC, there is a real risk of Ebola spreading to neighbouring countries. “We urge the community to continue supporting this critical work.”