Rwanda News

Kigali – Rwanda has discharged the last Marburg virus disease patient, kicking off the mandatory 42-day countdown to declare the end of the outbreak. The country has reported no new confirmed cases since 30 October 2024.  

The last patient was discharged on 8 November 2024. Contacts of the last patient, along with those of previously discharged patients, will continue to be followed up until the end of their 21-day observation period. The outbreak can only be declared over if no new infections arise 42 days after the last confirmed case tests negative.

Esther Uwababyeyi’s journey with HIV began at a young age. "Since the age of three, I've been on HIV treatment due to mother-to-child transmission," she says. The 22-year-old who lives in Rwamagana district in Eastern province of Rwanda, has been a first-hand witness to the innovations of the HIV response in the country since the early days of the response.

The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC), has provided financial and technical support to medical students from the Medical Student Association of Rwanda (MEDSAR) to build their capacity in evidence generation and use. Through a learning by doing approach, 50 medical students were trained in how to conduct operational research by developing research protocols, data collection, data cleaning, analysis and report writing.

It is a bustling morning at the Nyabahinga market, in Burera District in Rwanda. The place is alive with music blasting and loud voices of sellers calling for customers and haggling prices. In a distinct quiet corner, a simple table stands out, manned by young people dressed in white lab coats. Curiosity draws one person after another to find out who these people are until the music is suddenly interrupted.