Rwandan Minister of Health Diane Gashumba and her counterpart from the Democratic Republic of the Congo Pierre Kangudia agreed to tighten border control to deal with cross-border movement, in a bid to prevent the spread of Ebola.

DR Congo is facing it’s tenth and largest ever Ebola outbreak, which was declared in August 2018. The outbreak has seen cases surpassing 2,500. It is also the second-biggest Ebola epidemic ever recorded, behind the West Africa outbreak of 2014-2016.

Gashumba and Kangudia reiterated their countries' commitment to the implementation of preventive mechanisms to contain Ebola and secure cross-border flows in order to reduce the risk of the spread of the disease. 

A joint communique issued after the ministers' meeting held in northwestern Rwanda’s Rubavu district, which borders the eastern DR Congo city of Goma, said they discussed common mechanisms for the prevention and management of Ebola virus, including surveillance, according to the communique.

The meeting was convened in the context of ensuring a high-level political commitment that guides the strengthening of cross-border cooperation in disease surveillance, preparedness as well as response mechanisms between the two countries, it added.

The World Health Organization last month declared the Ebola virus disease outbreak in DR Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in DR Congo has already killed more than 1,700 people.