As part of the Ministry of Health (MoH)/Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC)’s 2025 Surveillance Unit Action Plan, post-Training-of-Trainers (ToT) mentorship and supervision activities have been launched to support the national implementation of Event-Based Surveillance (EBS) and Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) preparedness.
EBS plays a critical role in strengthening Rwanda’s early warning systems by enabling the rapid collection, reporting, and assessment of unstructured information on potential health threats. This system is designed to close
existing surveillance gaps and ensure timely intervention during health emergencies, including Mpox, Marburg Virus Disease, Rift valley and other outbreaks.
Ongoing Activities
A series of follow-up mentorship and supervisory visits are being conducted at selected district hospitals and community health facilities. These efforts
include: Briefings with Hospital Directors to ensure institutional ownership
and leadership support; Review of EBS and MVD concepts with trained health
personnel; Discussion on triage and verification processes for suspected public health events; Hands-on support and troubleshooting of the IMPURUZA alert system; Field data collection using Kobo Toolbox and structured mentor field reporting tools.
Broader Impact
Through sustained training, mentorship, and supportive supervision, the MoH and partners aim to ensure that EBS is fully integrated into Rwanda’s surveillance architecture.
The One Health Approach for Conservation (OHAC) – Gorilla Health proudly
contributed to the development of the Rwanda One Health Strategic Plan,
providing technical expertise and recommendations to address identified gaps and challenges. We encourage continued support for the implementation team to ensure these challenges are effectively tackled.
We extend our sincere gratitude to the Ministry of Health (MoH) for championing the One Health agenda. Special thanks to AFENET and Jhpiego for their invaluable support in promoting integrated surveillance systems that bridge human, animal, and environmental health—reflecting the principles advocated by OHAC – Gorilla Health.
These collaborative actions are reinforcing Rwanda’s national capacity for early detection and response to public health threats, including Mpox, Marburg Virus Disease, and other emerging health emergencies.
One Health in Action
As part of my ongoing commitment, I continue to mentor, supervise, and train current and future healthcare professionals in the region on the One Health approach. This includes: Conducting needs assessments to guide
capacity-building efforts; Supporting simulation exercises focused on outbreak investigation and response; Promoting cross-sectoral collaboration,
particularly during zoonotic disease outbreaks.
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