www.rwandan-flyer.com

Ebola crisis update :

NO EBOLA CASE (as of November 2014)

Travel Restrictions : Rwandan authorities continue to deny entry to visitors who traveled to Guinea, Liberia, Senegal, or Sierra Leone within the past 22 days.” In a turning of tables on Ebola monitoring, the East African nation of Rwanda is screening all visitors from the United States and Spain for the deadly virus.

The virus has so far claimed at least 2300 people in West African countries mainly Guinea Conakry, Sierra Leone, Liberia (and Nigeria). Rwandans have reason to worry because the national carrier, RwandAir, operates direct flights to Lagos.

Rwanda has started to take measures to step up surveillance. Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority, Ministry of Health,  immigration, police, Rwanda Military hospital staff & other stakeholders, work closely together

Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a highly contagious disease transmitted from person to person & characterised by fever, headache joint and muscle pain, sore throat, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pains and bleeding from all orifices.

Rwanda Civil Aviation : http://www.caa.gov.rw/top-menu/contact-us.html

Ministry of Health : http://www.moh.gov.rw/index.php?id=44

Rwanda Military Hospital : http://rwandamilitaryhospital.rw/

 05 November 2014

Liquid Telecom donates Rwf172m toward Ebola prevention efforts : HERE

30 October 2014

1300 Police officers to train in handling suspected Ebola patients : HERE

25/09/2014

A Rwandan woman is suspected to have died of the Ebola virus in the east-central African country, a hospital director said Wednesday.

“A woman was rushed to hospital bleeding from her nose and ears and died shortly,” Mulindwa Patrick told Anadolu Agency.

He said results of tests to confirm the cause of the death will be released in two days.  The Rwandan Health Ministry has yet to comment.  So far, no Ebola case has been registered in Rwanda.

Ebola, a contagious disease for which there is no known treatment or cure, has killed at least 2,803 people in West Africa in recent months, according to the World Health Organization.

RwandAir will suspend flights to Ebola stricken countries (Nigeria is only country hits by Ebola served by RwandAir) ?

27/08/2014

Air Cote d’Ivoire has become the latest to join the growing number of airlines that have suspended flights to Ebola stricken countries.

The airline which made the announcement today said it will resume flights to the Ebola stricken countries that is Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia when the situation normalizes.

Citi Business News has learnt another airline Rwanda Air may also soon suspend flights to Ebola stricken countries soon.

The latest development is despite calls from the World Health Organization (WHO) for airlines to desist from such moves.

A number of airlines including Korean Air Lines, Kenya airways and the Emirates airline have suspended flights to Ebola stricken countries.

By:  Vivian Kai Mensah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Ebola: Govt issues travel ban as DRC confirms cases

26/08/2014

James Karuhanga

Travellers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone will not be allowed into the country as the deadly Ebola virus continues to ravage the three West African states. The same also goes for any person found to have a fever of 37.5 degrees Celsius.

The order, issued yesterday by the Ministry of Health, also stated that anyone who has travelled to the three countries in the last 22 days will be stopped from entering Rwanda by any means of transport.

“An exception is only provided for passengers with special authorisation signed by the Minister for Health of the Republic of Rwanda,” reads part of the statement issued by the ministry (HERE).

The latest instructions follow reports of confirmation of a different strain of Ebola in DR Congo.

Returning residents will be required to stay at an isolation facility at the border posts for further medical checks and consistent follow up by health professionals. The ministry also ordered all passengers to go through a screening processes at all border posts.

“No one will be allowed to proceed for clearance unless they have been screened,” it said, and urged people to cooperate and assist in the implementation of existing precautionary measures, including quarantine for 21 days [the incubation period of the disease].

SOURCE : HERE

11/08/2014

Kigali, Monday 11^th August 2014: Following yesterday’s report of a patient who was identified in Rwanda with Ebola like symptoms, the Ministry of Health would like to inform the public that the patient’s condition is improving.

As we await for the results from the samples that were taken for tests, we would like to assure the public that the patient is at our isolation facility in Kanombe and as of today, his temperature has significantly gone down and he is recovering well from the malaria and other symptoms.

Other people that were put in quarantine among them, nurses, doctors, health managers, cashiers, patients as well as other people who had been in contact with the suspected case have not shown any symptoms or signs of Ebola at this time and are doing well.

Our surveillance and response team will continue to follow up on the situation and constant updates will be shared with the public as they come through.

SOURCE : HERE

 10/08/2014

Rwanda MoH @RwandaMoH  ·  1 h

@RwandaMoH would like to inform the public that one person with Ebola like symptoms was identified & put in isolation this afternoon. 1/2

Rwanda MoH @RwandaMoH  ·  28 min

Samples from the suspected case have been sent to an internationally accredited laboratory for testing. Results are expected in 48 hours 2/2

Kigali, 10 August 2014

Today late in the afternoon, a patient at King Faisal Hospital with Ebola like symptoms has been put in isolation as we wait for his test results. Samples from the suspected case have been sent for testing to an international accredited laboratory for approval, results will be available in 48 hours.

The suspected case is a European medical student. It is the first Ebola-suspected case
in Rwanda since the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa.

The Ministry of Health calls on the public to stay calm and be vigilant, the ministry is
closely monitoring the situation and all the needed preventive measures according to
national standards are in place. Surveillance systems and emergency management
systems have been established. Health workers have been trained across the country
and are vigilant. This will enable timely detection, notification and appropriate
management of any suspected cases to safeguard Rwandans.

All persons who have been in contact with the Ebola-suspected case are being
monitored and have been placed in quarantine. This is comprised of nurses, doctors,
health managers, cashiers and the patients who were passing by as well as private

The ServiceMag @TheServiceMag 2 août

Information on #EbolaOutbreak at the Kigali airport

RwandaCAA @RwandaCAA 2 h

On alert: MoH & Kanombe Military hospital teams on standby at Kigali Interntnl Airport , a measure against ebola

01/08/2014

News of Rwanda announces that a temporary clinic has just opened at Kigali International Airport.

Gahiji Innocent

Rwanda has deployed medics and installed a temporary clinic at Kigali International Airport following red alerts of an eminent spread of the Ebola virus that is taking toll on West Africa.

“We are ready with so many things”, said Health Minister, Dr. Agnes Binagwaho.

Over 270 medics and a temporally clinic have been put on stand-by at the airport, just in case. Passenger screening has also began at Kigali International Airport.

Rwanda’s national carrier, Rwandair, has weekly flights to a number of West African countries, including Nigeria, which has issued a “red alert”

.

Nathan Mugume of Rwanda health communication center, says the country “is prepared in terms of logistics, healthcare and public awareness.”

“We are giving manuals on Ebola virus to people on board, including air-hostesses”, Mugume said. Passengers from West Africa are monitored while in the country.

Source : News of Rwanda : HERE

31/07/2014

This morning, Kigali airport hosted a meeting between Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority and Ministry of Health, Rwanda about the Ebola virus. Here is a summer up

Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority :

Senstization and training workshop on ebola. Operators, & Security personnel present .MOH staff sensitising Rwandair, immigration, police, Rwanda Military hospital staff & other stakeholders.

Ministry of Health, Rwanda

Right now we are safe, we urge both passengers & crew to take precautionary measures, we have strengthened surveillance&closely monitoring dev’ts in affected countries.our crew is receiving training, IEC materials will be availed on board, measures are in place in case of a spill over, we have strengthened surveillance&closely monitoring dev’ts in affected countries

Ebola : Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority  steps up surveillance

30/07/2014

James Karuhanga

Surveillance systems have been strengthened at all entry points into the country and hospitals following reports that Ebola had been detected in the Nigerian capital Lagos last week.

The virus has so far claimed at least 670 people in West African countries mainly Guinea Conakry, Sierra Leone and Liberia. Rwandans have reason to worry because the national carrier, RwandAir, operates direct flights to Lagos.

Speaking to The New Times yesterday, Nathan Mugume, the head of the communication division at Rwanda Biomedical Centre, said they are working closely with Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority on precautionary measures.

“We have developed fact sheets on the disease. They spell out all about the disease, the best reaction if a case is detected, and much more. We have a very good surveillance system used to monitor epidemics,” Mugume said.

[…]

Tony Barigye, the spokesperson for the RCAA, said they have kept an eye on the Ebola outbreak since the first case was reported in Guinea in February. Barigye said the RCAA, in partnership with Ministry of Health, has for the last two months emphasised communication and public awareness.

Information kits have been designed including pull-up banners and over 2,000 flyers have been distributed at the Kigali International Airport. “We have also reviewed the infrastructure in place (airport clinic) and proposed recommendations on how to adapt the facility in case of an outbreak,” Barigye said. 

The recommendations include having the airport clinic open 24/7 and an ambulance on standby for 24 hours. Besides Lagos, RwandAir flies to several cities in West and Central Africa, including Libreville (Gabon), Accra (Ghana), Douala (Cameroon), and Congo Brazzaville.

John Mirenge, the CEO of RwandAir, said the airline is working closely with the Ministry of Health and national civil aviation authorities and the countries where they fly to ensure the epidemic does  not spread to Rwanda.

SOURCE : THE NEW TIMES