Rwanda reported its first case of Marburg virus on September 27, 2024, primarily affecting healthcare workers attending to patients. A total of 66 cases were recorded, with 51 recoveries and 15 fatalities.
On November 15, the Ministry highlighted that 14 days had passed since the last new case was detected in the country, and it had been eight days since the final patient was discharged from the hospital.
Hospitals dedicated to treating Marburg cases have since been closed, and the Ministry confirmed that individuals who had been in contact with patients had completed their monitoring period.
Despite this milestone, authorities stressed that preventive measures remain active, with recovered patients still under medical observation to ensure public safety.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana recently announced that the Marburg outbreak in Rwanda is officially over.
However, he underlined the need for continued surveillance of bats identified as the virus's source. He shared that the bats linked to the outbreak were located at a mining site near Kigali, and monitoring efforts have been extended to other caves nationwide.
Dr. Nsanzimana noted that advanced technologies are being employed to track these bats and prevent future outbreaks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) explained that an outbreak can only be declared officially over after a 42-day period without new cases, starting from the discharge of the last patient.
The Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC) reported on November 16, 2024, that 33 days remain before Rwanda can confirm the virus is no longer present in the country.
IGIHE
