Rwanda continues to demonstrate strong leadership and commitment to public health by prioritizing the development and implementation of robust frameworks for Early Warning Systems. A significant milestone in this effort was the organization of Training-of-Trainers (ToT) sessions for 45 health professionals from various district hospitals. These hospitals serve not only Rwandan communities but also patients from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), emphasizing the importance of cross-border health preparedness. https://lnkd.in/dhE2AMxF.

This initiative also provided an opportunity to reflect on key lessons learned from Rwanda’s recent responses to the 2024 Marburg and Mpox outbreaks, as well as Rift Valley Fever. Our experiences during multiple Ebola outbreaks in the DRC further informed the strategies employed. https://lnkd.in/dW-QkhgM

We also contributed to the expansion of Epidemic Intelligence—a centralized system that continuously collects, analyzes, and visualizes data from both Indicator-Based Surveillance (IBS) and Event-Based Surveillance (EBS) sources. This integrated approach minimizes delays in outbreak detection and extends surveillance efforts beyond pre-defined diseases and sectors, aligning with the 7–1–7 Approach.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Health for adopting and implementing the Africa CDC EBS Framework, which is now being rolled out at national, provincial, district, sector, and community levels. Special thanks also go to WHO and AFENET for their support of this initiative, which embraces the One Health Approach—integrating surveillance across human, animal, and environmental health sectors. This work is aligned with the mission of the One Health Approach for Conservation (OHAC) – Gorilla Health.

One Health in Action

As part of my ongoing commitment to capacity building and continuous professional development in the One Health approach, I actively support trainings that address a broad range of health risks across human, animal, and environmental interfaces. This includes conducting outbreak investigations and contributing to the containment and management of public health threats such as our efforts during Ebola outbreaks in Goma, DRC. (Photo attached).

Highlights the importance of cross-border cooperation!