This archive report was first published on 16 July 2019.
On July 15, 2019, Rwanda's health ministry urged citizens to avoid unnecessary travel to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after a case of Ebola was discovered in Goma, a city straddling its border with Rwanda.
Goma, with a population of over one million, is the biggest urban hub to have been affected by Ebola since an outbreak in DR Congo's North Kivu province began in August 2018, killing more than 1,600 people.
The health ministry warned that while no cases of Ebola had been detected in Rwanda, citizens played a crucial role in preventing the spread of the deadly disease.
"The ministry of health reminds citizens and residents not to make unnecessary border crossings and travels to areas in neighbouring countries where Ebola has been reported," the ministry said in a statement.
Health Minister Diane Gashumba stated that the government would not close the border but would bolster monitoring of those coming in and out of DR Congo.
Almost all the victims in this outbreak, the second-worst in Ebola's history, were from DR Congo. Two people who crossed from DR Congo into Uganda also died in June, but that country has now declared itself Ebola-free.
