According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the recovery of all cases marks the beginning of a mandatory 42-day countdown to declare the country Marburg-free.
'The outbreak can only be declared over if no new infections arise 42 days after the last confirmed case tests negative,' WHO said in a statement on Saturday, November 9, 2024.
Rwanda has reported no new confirmed cases since October 30, 2024, but Minister of Health Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana stated that contacts of the last patient, along with those of previously discharged patients, will continue to be monitored until the end of their 21-day observation period.
During this period, the ministry is also expected to leverage the country's extensive network of nearly 60,000 community health workers to conduct active case finding and test any suspected cases, ensuring that no transmission chain is missed.
WHO Representative in Rwanda, Dr. Brian Chirombo, commended the Rwandan government's efforts in fighting the outbreak and assured continued collaboration until it is conclusively declared over in the country.
'Thanks to the concerted efforts of all involved, Rwanda is successfully emerging from a highly challenging outbreak, effectively mitigating its potentially devastating impacts. I commend the Government of Rwanda for the significant progress achieved. WHO remains committed to supporting these ongoing collaborative efforts until the outbreak is officially declared over,' Dr. Chirombo stated.
Rwanda announced its first-ever Marburg virus outbreak on September 27, 2024. Since then, a total of 66 cases and 15 deaths have been recorded.
The cases were reported in two hospitals in Kigali and among the family of one of the first cases. WHO and Rwandan authorities attribute the rapid and robust response to zero community transmission.
Recently, the Ministry of Health confirmed that the outbreak originated from a mining cave inhabited by fruit bats. Dr. Nsanzimana confirmed that the virus had jumped from animals to humans, with the 27-year-old index case traced back to a cave where mining activities were ongoing.
'We managed to trace back and find that this outbreak came from a zoonotic origin, and we were also able to find the cave where these particular fruit bats were living, with human activityâ€"particularly miningâ€"taking place. That's where we found our index case,' Dr. Nsanzimana stated.
Wycliffe Nyamasege
Source : https://en.igihe.com/health/article/rwanda-begins-key-countdown-to-declare-end-of-marburg-outbreak
