Rwandan Health Minister, Diane Gashumba, on Thursday dismissed reports saying Rwanda has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) over fears of Ebola outbreak.
“Rwanda has not closed its border with DRC.
“What you are reading in media is not true, but people simply misunderstood the situation at the border this morning,’’ Gashumba said.
People were delayed at the border in the morning as they were sensitised on signs and dangers of Ebola virus and measures to prevent themselves from being infected, she said.
Rwanda has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after a man died of Ebola in Goma, capital city of the North Kivu province, the DRC presidency said on Thursday.
The presidency’s office said in a statement that it regretted a “unilateral decision” by the Rwandan side that restricted the movement of its citizens at the border.
The man, in his 40s, has tested positive for the deadly virus and died on Wednesday in the populated city of Goma.
He was the second confirmed Ebola case in the border city with Rwanda.
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On Wednesday, a man died of the highly-contagious virus in Goma, and it is his one-year-old daughter, who is now the third confirmed case in the city of about two million.
The year-long Ebola outbreak has infected around 2,600 people and killed over 1,800 of them in the African country.
A year after the start of the deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo, a third case has been confirmed in Goma, authorities said on Thursday
“There’s a third confirmed case.
“It’s the daughter of the patient, who died yesterday,’’ Aruna Abedi, Coordinator of the Ebola Response in Goma, said.
“The little girl is in hospital, but the virus could be fatal as mortality rates are high in children,’’ Abedi added.
Thursday marks a year since the start of the epidemic, the second-worst on record, which has led to more than 1,800 deaths in the central African nation.
After the first person to contract the disease in Goma died in July, the WHO declared the outbreak an international health emergency.
Until the Goma cases, no major cities had been affected by the epidemic.
Rwanda and other neighbouring countries – South Sudan, Uganda and Burundi – are now on high alert.
Efforts to curb Ebola have been hampered by fighting in the region, where various militia are operating, and health workers and facilities have been targeted. (NAN)
