WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has wrapped up his official visit to Rwanda, where he praised the country’s swift and effective response to the ongoing Marburg virus outbreak. In a conversation with President Paul Kagame, Dr. Tedros commended Rwanda’s leadership in containing the outbreak and highlighted the country’s broader efforts to strengthen public health infrastructure.
“I had a fruitful conversation with my brother, President Paul Kagame, regarding Rwanda’s ongoing response to the Marburg outbreak,” Dr. Tedros said. “I expressed my appreciation for his leadership and the effective management of the outbreak, along with his commitment to end it soon.”
Rwanda’s response has been robust, with 23 confirmed Marburg cases, and swift actions that included testing over 10,000 people, setting up 15 isolation centers, and launching nationwide health alerts. The effective measures have been instrumental in controlling the virus’s spread, with no new cases reported in the past two weeks.
In addition to the Marburg response, the two leaders discussed Rwanda’s ambitious investment in establishing a local vaccine manufacturing facility in Kigali. Dr. Tedros noted that the project, which is making significant progress, is a key part of addressing Africa’s vaccine equity challenges. The facility is being developed with lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic in mind and is expected to bolster Africa’s capacity to produce vaccines independently, reducing reliance on global supply chains.
“The vaccine manufacturing facility in Kigali is well underway and making significant progress,” Dr. Tedros noted. “It leverages lessons learned from COVID-19 to address the equity challenges faced by Africa.”
The Kigali facility is expected to produce vaccines for a variety of diseases, enhancing Africa’s ability to respond to future pandemics and health emergencies. The collaboration between Rwanda and WHO is seen as a model for regional public health leadership, with Rwanda playing a central role in advancing vaccine equity and pandemic preparedness.
As Dr. Tedros’s visit concluded, he reaffirmed WHO’s support for Rwanda’s efforts, both in managing the Marburg outbreak and in establishing long-term solutions to improve health security across the continent.
https://x.com/unrwanda/status/1848083592133415084?s=46
