Although there hasn’t been any Ebola case in Rwanda, the government is not taking any chances. Following the recent outbreak of the deadly hemorrhagic fever in a Ugandan western district, Kigali has put in place measures not only to avoid a spill-over, but also to increase the capacity of local health personnel to contain the new strain in case of an outbreak. According to a release from the Health ministry, a number of “health workers from the referral hospitals have received training on handling and treating potential Ebola patients.” The Communications Director in the Ministry of Health, Innes Mpambara, said yesterday that so far 120 doctors have received such training. In the event of an outbreak, ‘TRAC Plus, the Centre for Disease and Epidemic Control and National Reference Laboratory (NRL) – together with the trained medical personnel from the referral hospitals will be able to dispatch immediately mobile response teams to assist the district hospitals to handle any Ebola cases,’ according to the release. The ministry has also opened a hotline (3747) to help Rwandans access information on the deadly pandemic and share it with the ministry officials. The ministry says that ‘sharing and exchange of information and collaboration between all stakeholders’ remain major strengths for prevention. Prof. Michael Kramer, the Director General of TRAC Plus, cautions the public to remain on high alert and share information with local authorities and medical personnel in case of any suspicion. “The population should be assured that major efforts have been put in place, in collaboration with our partners, to prevent the Ebola spill over. But, it is also equally important for the population to continue to be on alert and share information with local authorities and medical personnel in case of any suspicion,” the statement quotes him as saying. The Ebola death toll in Uganda is estimated at 35 while there are 119 cases of the new strain.Ends
