Since February 1, the country has been seeing over 100 new cholera cases every day, with a high of 295 cases recorded on February 8.
However, the confirmation of cases through laboratory testing remains limited, with only around 20 samples being processed daily.
The outbreak, which started on January 7, has spread across several provinces, with Luanda and the neighboring Bengo province being the hardest hit.
To combat the outbreak, more than 925,000 people have been vaccinated, covering 86% of the targeted population, according to the Health Ministry’s epidemiological report on Monday.
The conference, scheduled to take place from February 19 to 28, is organized by the Rwanda Ministry of Health, Operation Smile, the University of Rwanda, and the Rwanda Surgical Society.
Pre-conference workshops will be held from February 19 to 23, with the main conference slated for February 24 to 28 at the Kigali Serena Hotel.
Speaking at a pre-conference event in Kigali on Friday, February 7, Professor Faustin Ntirenganya, Chair of Surgery at the University of Rwanda and President of the Rwanda Surgical Society, said the conference provides stakeholders with a unique platform to address critical gaps in surgical care.
“This conference is a pivotal opportunity to bring together academicians, policymakers, and practitioners to analyze surgical gaps in Africa and establish a unified agenda for addressing them,” Prof. Ntirenganya told the media.
“We aim to learn from each other, share best practices, and exchange experiences. Rwanda can showcase its progress, while also learning from other countries to accelerate improvements,” he added.
Africa faces a dire shortage of surgical professionals. The continent currently has only 0.5 surgeons and 0.1 anaesthetists per 100,000 people—far below global recommendations.
According to Prof. Ntirenganya, Rwanda is also affected, with only three surgical, obstetric, and anaesthesia providers per 100,000 people, while the recommended standard is 20.
Due to this shortage, the available surgeons can perform only a third of the required surgical volume, leaving many patients waiting longer for essential procedures.
Despite the challenges, Prof. Ntirenganya emphasized that Rwanda has made progress, including launching the first National Surgical, Obstetric, and Anesthesia Plan (NSOAP) in 2018. However, more investment in training and infrastructure is needed.
The upcoming conference’s goal is to expand Africa’s surgical workforce, ensuring that every district hospital has a qualified surgeon.
Rwanda currently has only 162 surgeons across all specialities, with just five plastic surgeons specializing in cleft surgery.
Organizations like Operation Smile are actively working to address this shortage by enhancing surgical training and infrastructure.
Andrew Karima, Country Manager for Operation Smile Rwanda, described their contributions, noting, “Every surgery we conduct is also a teaching opportunity. Through our hub-and-spoke model, we are expanding access to care while simultaneously strengthening the healthcare system. We have completed surgical projects in hospitals across Rwanda and are committed to ensuring that every patient, no matter where they are, can receive the care they need.”
Operation Smile provides approximately 180 free cleft surgeries annually in Rwanda and has played a critical role in repairing cleft lip, cleft palate, and other facial differences in the country and around the world.
The global charity organization, founded in 1982, is also collaborating with the Ministry of Health to integrate critical care services into surgical programs, ensuring better post-operative care for patients.
“We have strengthened our partnership with the Ministry of Health. We are now incorporating critical care, aligning our services with High Dependency Units (HDU) and Intensive Care Units (ICU). This ensures that if surgery doesn’t go as expected, the patient receives appropriate post-operative care,” he disclosed.
Karima emphasized that their work extends beyond Rwanda, stating, “If our model has worked here, it can work in Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, Malawi, and beyond.”
The inaugural Pan-African Surgical Conference, themed “Building Resilient and Sustainable Surgical Services in Africa”, will feature policy discussions, research presentations, and networking opportunities.
Experts from across the continent will share best practices and innovations aimed at closing the surgical care gap in resource-limited settings. Key objectives include reinforcing surgical training programs, expanding policy support for surgical workforce development, and strengthening regional surgical networks.
With participation from global surgery policy experts, medical professionals, government officials, and advocacy groups, the conference is expected to yield actionable recommendations that will shape the future of surgical care in Africa, with Rwanda playing a central role.
Pharco Pharmaceuticals, founded in 1983 by Dr. Hassan Abbas Helmy, is one of Egypt’s major pharmaceutical firms. It produces a wide range of medications under the Pharco brand and distributes them in over 50 countries.
In 2019 alone, the company sold 750 million medicine packages globally. Some of its key products include Acne Zinc for skin treatment, Alambuphine for fever relief, and Alfatral, used in the treatment of urinary tract infections.
On Thursday, President Paul Kagame met with a delegation from Pharco Pharmaceuticals, led by its CEO, Dr. Sherine Abbas Helmy. The discussions were also attended by Rwanda’s Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana.
According to Village Urugwiro, the meeting focused on identifying areas of collaboration between Rwanda and the pharmaceutical firm, particularly in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.
Before meeting President Kagame, Dr. Sherine Abbas Helmy and his delegation also held discussions with Jean-Guy Afrika, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).
Following the meeting, RDB stated, “The discussions explored opportunities to expand access to essential medicines, conduct clinical trials, and establish local pharmaceutical manufacturing.”
Rwanda has been making significant investments in its healthcare sector, aiming to improve medical services and modernize healthcare infrastructure. These efforts seek to reduce the number of Rwandans seeking medical treatment abroad while attracting international patients to the country’s healthcare facilities.
If the pharmaceutical factory project is launched, it will complement Rwanda’s ongoing initiative to establish a vaccine manufacturing plant in partnership with Germany’s BioNTech.
Additionally, in November, RDB signed an agreement with Bio Usawa Inc. to build a pharmaceutical plant specializing in the production of treatments for severe eye diseases, including those affecting diabetic patients.
“As a precautionary measure, surveillance systems have been enhanced in all counties and points of entry,” Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Health Mary Muthoni said in a statement issued in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, on Friday evening.
Muthoni said a rapid assessment of the country’s capacity to respond to a similar outbreak is underway, shortly after which a comprehensive plan will be developed to guide countrywide preparedness and response to Ebola.
She encouraged the public to seek accurate information from qualified healthcare workers, community health promoters or the Ministry of Health through its website.
The statement came after the Ugandan Ministry of Health on Thursday declared an Ebola outbreak after a 32-year-old male nurse succumbed to Sudan Ebola virus Wednesday, marking the eighth outbreak of the deadly disease in the East African country.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it is “working closely with Ugandan health authorities to revitalize a robust surveillance and case management system, community mobilization, and risk communication in response to the outbreak.”
The Ebola virus is highly contagious and causes various symptoms. Signs and symptoms of Ebola are characterized by fever, headache, diarrhea, vomiting and body malaise.
According to the WHO, the fatality rate for those who contract Ebola ranges from 50 percent to 89 percent, depending on the viral subtypes.
The disclosure was made on January 31, 2024, during the launch of the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP V), a five-year initiative designed to strengthen Rwanda’s healthcare system.
At the core of this plan is the expansion of the medical workforce through the “4×4” program, which seeks to increase the number of doctors from one to at least four per 1,000 people.
Introduced in July 2023, the initiative aims to have 58,582 doctors in the country by 2028, aligning Rwanda with international healthcare standards while ensuring favorable working conditions for medical professionals.
The government is also prioritizing medical infrastructure, with plans to construct ten new hospitals and 23 health centers across the country.
Additionally, 30% of existing facilities will be upgraded, and the Kigali Health City project will be developed in Masaka to enhance specialized care.
Improving healthcare quality remains a key focus, with efforts to ensure that all treatable diseases can be managed locally.
Special attention will be given to maternal and child health, alongside the treatment of non-communicable diseases.
The country is also taking proactive steps to strengthen its ability to respond to pandemics, integrating artificial intelligence and weather data analysis to enhance epidemic detection and preparedness.
Investment in medical research, technology, and the development of vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries will further position Rwanda as a hub for healthcare innovation.
These efforts are expected to bring significant improvements by 2029. Maternal mortality is projected to decline from 105 to 60 per 100,000 live births.
Medical infrastructure will be accessible to the entire population, up from 70% in 2023, and health insurance coverage will reach 100%, up from the current 85%.
Additionally, domestic sources will contribute 60% of healthcare funding, an increase from 45% in 2023.
According to Dr. Butera Yvan, the State Minister in the Ministry of Health, Rwanda has already made significant strides in combating diseases and improving maternal and child health.
The country has now set an ambitious goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2027, reinforcing its commitment to advancing healthcare and ensuring a healthier future for all citizens.
The outbreak was confirmed on Thursday after a 32-year-old nurse at Mulago National Referral Hospital succumbed to the Sudan Ebola virus. Uganda’s Ministry of Health declared it the country’s eighth Ebola outbreak.
WHO is working closely with Ugandan authorities to enhance surveillance, case management, community awareness, and risk communication.
Health officials revealed that the deceased initially sought treatment at multiple facilities, including a traditional healer, before his diagnosis. So far, 45 contacts have been identified and isolated, including health workers, family members, and patients.
The Ministry of Health announced an immediate vaccination rollout for all identified contacts and frontline health workers using available Ebola vaccine doses.
Uganda had confirmed another Ebola outbreak in 2022.
Ebola is a highly contagious viral disease with symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding. Its fatality rate varies between 50% and 89%, depending on the virus strain.
About 5 million children in the 17 malaria-endemic African countries, which represents more than 70 percent of the global malaria burden, have been protected from the disease after being inoculated, Gavi said in a statement issued Thursday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
Gavi Chief Executive Officer Sania Nishtar described the consistent rollout of the malaria vaccine as a game changer in combating the mosquito-transmitted disease.
“This early data is a small indicator of the potential public health impact of a program we hope to scale up dramatically by the end of this decade, protecting tens of millions of children around the world, and reducing the stress malaria imposes on African health systems,” Nishtar said.
The successful implementation of pilot malaria vaccination programs in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi from 2019 to 2023, which reached 2 million children and led to a 13 percent drop in overall child mortality, has informed rollout in other high-burden countries on the continent, according to Gavi.
In addition to vaccines, other vital interventions like mass distribution of insecticide treated nets have been pivotal in reducing malaria transmission and deaths in Africa, Gavi said.
The introduction of malaria vaccine in African countries grappling with strife, including Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was hailed by the agency for revitalizing malaria fight, Gavi noted.
In 2025, Gavi plans to introduce malaria vaccines in six to eight new countries, including Uganda, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali and Burundi, protecting an additional 13 million children by the end of the year.
Between 2026 and 2030, Gavi aims to help high-burden countries protect an additional 50 million children with four doses of the malaria vaccine upon availability of funding, it said.
The funding will bolster immediate response measures, including deploying a multidisciplinary team of 12 public health experts within the next 24 hours.
The team, comprising epidemiologists, infection prevention and control (IPC) specialists, laboratory experts, and risk communication officers, will work on the ground to strengthen surveillance, diagnostics, IPC measures, and community engagement.
Tanzania President Samia Suluhu declared an outbreak of Marburg virus in the country on Monday, January 20, 2025, after confirming one case and identifying 25 suspected cases in Northwestern Tanzania’s Kagera Region.
The Marburg virus, a highly infectious and often fatal disease, is transmitted to humans from fruit bats and monkeys and is similar to the Ebola virus.
This marks Tanzania’s second encounter with the deadly virus, following an outbreak in the Bukoba District of the same region in March 2023 that resulted in nine cases and six deaths.
“Africa CDC stands firmly with Tanzania in this critical moment. To support the government’s efforts, we are committing US$ 2 million to bolster immediate response measures, including deploying public health experts, strengthening diagnostics, and enhancing case management,” said Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director-General of Africa CDC.
“Building on Tanzania’s commendable response during the 2023 outbreak, we are confident that swift and decisive action, combined with our support and that of other partners, will bring this outbreak under control,” he added.
Dr. Kaseya has engaged with President Suluhu and the Minister of Health to ensure coordinated efforts and secure political commitment for the outbreak response.
In addition to financial support, Africa CDC confirmed it had provided diagnostic and sequencing resources to Tanzania’s public health laboratories. PCR test kits and genomic sequencing reagents have been dispatched, with further supplies in the pipeline.
Technical assistance will also be provided to strengthen pathogen detection and genome sequencing capabilities. The efforts aim to ensure rapid identification and confirmation of cases, better characterizing the virus for an effective response.
Support will extend to improving case management protocols and enhancing Tanzania’s capacity to deliver safe and effective treatment.
Africa CDC announced that the agency will work closely with the Tanzanian government, regional partners, international organizations, and global stakeholders, including the World Health Organization (WHO), to stop the virus from spreading further.
The Marburg virus is a highly virulent disease that can spread through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected persons, contaminated surfaces, or infected animals. The symptoms include fever, severe headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea, often leading to severe haemorrhaging in advanced cases.
During a Cabinet meeting chaired by President Paul Kagame on January 17, 2025, the government approved the inclusion of 14 advanced medical services, including cancer treatment, in the CBHI package.
Minister of Health Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana outlined on Saturday that services to be covered include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, kidney transplants, interventional cardiology, minimally invasive surgery, and hip and knee replacements.
The addition of new services to the scheme aims to ease the financial burden on patients and families struggling with the high costs of essential treatments. All the new services are expected to be fully integrated into the CBHI, which currently covers 92% of Rwandans, by June.
“By June 2025, all the 14 services will be fully integrated into the scheme,” Dr. Nsanzimana affirmed.
Mutuelle de Santé has been covering 90% of medical expenses, but chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer are excluded, leaving patients to bear the full cost, with treatments often running into millions of Rwandan francs.
The government’s decision to include cancer treatment under CBHI is expected to transform access to healthcare for thousands of families across the country. This expansion reflects Rwanda’s continued investment in its health sector, with improved infrastructure and advanced medical equipment enabling high-quality treatments.
In tandem with the expanded CBHI package, the Cabinet also approved a revision of health service tariffs, which were last updated in 2017.
Dr. Nsanzimana explained that outdated tariffs no longer reflected the actual costs of healthcare services. The revised tariffs ensure affordability for advanced treatments while maintaining government subsidies for essential services.
Under the new tariff structure, the cost of a CT brain scan for CBHI beneficiaries has dropped from RWF 45,000 to RWF 16,283, with a co-payment of just RWF 1,628.
Similarly, for a normal delivery at a public health facility, a CBHI beneficiary will now pay RWF 1,126, up slightly from RWF 926, while insurance covers RWF 11,261 of the cost.
The changes also include tailored rates for private insurance holders, East African citizens, and international clients, ensuring a comprehensive and equitable tariff system.
As part of the reforms, the government has committed to reviewing health service tariffs every two years to ensure they remain aligned with economic realities and healthcare advancements.
Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya, addressing an online briefing on Thursday about the multi-country mpox outbreak and other health crises, stressed the urgent need for concerted efforts to combat mounting public health emergencies.
“We see that the number of disease outbreaks in 2024 was more than in 2023… In 2024, we had 213 events, while in 2023, we had 166. We hope that this year will be different from the last year,” Kaseya said.
The Africa CDC chief identified cholera, measles, dengue, mpox, and diphtheria as the top five high-burden diseases in Africa for 2024.
Cholera was “the first killer in Africa,” as the African continent reported some 204,115 cholera cases and 3,747 deaths last year. Measles followed closely, with 234,320 cases and 3,220 deaths in 2024.
Mpox ranked third in fatalities among the five high-burden diseases, with 21 African countries reporting 77,888 cases and 1,321 deaths since the start of 2024, according to data from the African Union’s specialized healthcare agency.
Kaseya highlighted the pressing need for Africa to address public health emergencies more effectively, citing the compounded effects of climate change, urbanization, and other contributing factors.
The Africa CDC chief also called for significant investment in laboratory infrastructure, critical public health facilities, and local vaccine and medical equipment production. He emphasized the need to boost the continent’s public health workforce, improve genomic sequencing for priority diseases, and bolster national public health institutes to enhance their role in managing health emergencies.
“We are following what is happening in Africa in terms of diseases, and we know exactly what is happening, when, and where so that we can respond by supporting our members,” Kaseya said.
