Kigali, May 17 (IANS) The border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the former’s Rubavu District were closed on Sunday following the Ebola outbreak in DRC, an official said.

The Mayor of Rubavu District in Rwanda’s Western Province, Prosper Mulindwa, told local media that the closure of the borders linking Goma and Rubavu-Gisenyi border will remain in place for an indefinite period as part of measures aimed at preventing the spread of the deadly disease.

“The borders connecting Goma and Gisenyi have been temporarily closed in response to the Ebola outbreak. We will continue engaging with our residents to explain why this decision was made,” he said, Xinhua news agency reported.

Mulindwa urged residents to remain patient and cooperative, stressing that the decision was taken to safeguard public health and protect communities from possible infections.

Despite the temporary closure, health authorities continue to screen Rwandans crossing from the DRC, as well as Congolese citizens returning home, who are still being allowed to use the border points under strict health monitoring procedures, according to local media.

The death toll from the latest Ebola outbreak in the DRC has risen to 87, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said Saturday, warning that the outbreak is driven by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no strain-specific vaccine is currently available, and that it carries a high risk of regional spread.

The World Health Organisation on Sunday determined that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda constitutes a “public health emergency of international concern”.

The WHO said on social media platform X that the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency.

The Director-General of WHO expresses his gratitude to the leadership of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda for their commitment to take necessary and vigorous actions to bring the event under control, as well as for their frankness in assessing the risk posed by this event to other states parties, hence allowing the global community to take necessary preparedness actions.

–IANS

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