Rwanda begins closely monitoring unknown epidemic that has killed over 30 in DRC

The government of Rwanda has announced that it has started closely monitoring the unknown epidemic that has already claimed the lives of over 30 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

On Friday, December 6, 2024, the United Nations Health Agency reported the outbreak of the unknown epidemic in DRC. It was stated that, by that time, the disease had killed over 30 people, with more than 390 others infected. The epidemic is mostly concentrated in the Panzi and Kwango regions, located about 700 kilometers south-west of Kinshasa.

In a recent conversation with the press, Rwanda’s Prime Minister, Dr. Edouard Ngirente, confirmed that Rwanda has started closely monitoring the situation regarding this epidemic.

He said, “The Ministry of Health and the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) are monitoring the situation daily. What I can assure you is that we are here to protect the lives of Rwandans. We have fought and overcome various epidemics together: COVID-19, Monkeypox, and Marburg, all of which we successfully contained. We are closely monitoring this new disease as our health authorities are keeping track of it. While we cannot predict that it will not reach Rwanda, we will handle it the same way we fought other outbreaks.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the symptoms of this disease are similar to those of the flu, with infected individuals displaying fever, headache, breathing difficulties, and anemia.