Rwanda on Wednesday announced some emergency measures for stopping the virus Ebola from spreading across Uganda’s border.
Local media reported earlier this week that 23 people died of suspected hemorrhagic fever in neighboring Uganda, raising fears of an Ebola outbreak in the East African region.
All travelers entering Rwanda from Uganda are now subject to screening following an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in neighboring Uganda.
Rwanda has also embarked on medical drills for medical personnel including epidemiologists, and also reactivated the Nyamata Treatment Centre in Eastern Rwanda which is equipped to handle any Ebola suspected case.
The Director General for Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), Claude Mambo Muvunyi, said that there is no Ebola case reported in Rwanda apart from one suspect who turned out negative after several tests.
“Several medical teams are being established across the country as part of national preparedness,” Dr Muvunyi said.
So far Uganda had reported 36 cases of Ebola, and among those include 23 deaths.
The Ebola strain reported in Uganda is said to have originated from South Sudan and not linked to the one in DR Congo.
Rwanda has vaccinated over 200,000 people against Ebola.
CU/abj/APA