{"id":2000112389,"date":"2026-05-18T09:49:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T07:49:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000112389"},"modified":"2026-05-18T12:59:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T10:59:06","slug":"rwanda-heightens-ebola-surveillance-amid-drc-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwanda-heightens-ebola-surveillance-amid-drc-outbreak\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwanda heightens Ebola surveillance amid DRC outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In a statement issued on Sunday, Rwanda\u2019s Ministry of Health said the country is closely monitoring the outbreak, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is currently no case of Ebola in Rwanda,\u201d the ministry said, while assuring the public that health authorities remain vigilant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of precautionary measures, Rwanda has strengthened screening and surveillance at border entry points with the DRC. Health teams have been placed on alert, and response systems reinforced to ensure early detection and rapid containment should any suspected cases emerge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latest outbreak in eastern DR Congo has so far recorded 336 suspected and confirmed cases in Ituri Province, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). The outbreak is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, for which no approved strain-specific vaccine currently exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya warned that cross-border movement, mining-related mobility, and weak disease surveillance systems could complicate efforts to contain the outbreak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regional concerns intensified after Uganda confirmed an imported Ebola case linked to the outbreak in DR Congo. Ugandan authorities said a 59-year-old Congolese man who died in Kampala tested positive for the Bundibugyo strain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Africa CDC has classified the outbreak as a Grade 3 emergency, the agency\u2019s highest response level, with the risk assessed as \u201cvery high\u201d within DR Congo and \u201chigh\u201d across eastern Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities in Rwanda have also tightened border controls in Rubavu District, where the Petite Barri\u00e8re, Grande Barri\u00e8re, and Kabuhanga border posts connecting Gisenyi and Goma were temporarily closed as a preventive measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rubavu District Mayor Prosper Mulindwa said the decision was aimed at preventing the spread of Ebola into Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBorders connecting Goma and Gisenyi have been temporarily closed while monitoring the Ebola outbreak. We will continue engaging with citizens to explain the reasons behind this decision,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the temporary closures, health officials continue screening Rwandan nationals entering from DR Congo as well as Congolese citizens returning home under strict monitoring protocols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ministry of Health said it will continue working with national, regional, and international partners to protect public health and maintain preparedness against the outbreak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ebola is a highly contagious viral disease that can cause fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, fatigue, body pain, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding. Fatality rates vary depending on the virus subtype, according to the WHO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
In a statement issued on Sunday, Rwanda\u2019s Ministry of Health said the country is closely monitoring the outbreak, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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According to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the outbreak has so far recorded 336 suspected and confirmed cases in Ituri Province in eastern DR Congo. The outbreak marks the country\u2019s 17th Ebola epidemic since 1976.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Government of Rwanda has heightened Ebola surveillance and reinforced preventive measures along its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) following a worsening outbreak that has killed at least 87 people in eastern DR Congo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000112392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000112389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000112392,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-18-at-9.23.10-AM.jpeg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":600,"height":449,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-18-at-9.23.10-AM.jpeg","width":150,"height":112},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-18-at-9.23.10-AM.jpeg","width":300,"height":225},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-18-at-9.23.10-AM.jpeg","width":600,"height":449},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-18-at-9.23.10-AM.jpeg","width":600,"height":449},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-18-at-9.23.10-AM.jpeg","width":600,"height":449}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000112389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000112389"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000112389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000112393,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000112389\/revisions\/2000112393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000112392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000112389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000112389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000112389"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000112389"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000112389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}