EFFO-CoE Provides Support in Rwanda during Marburg Fever Outbreak
During the Marburg fever outbreak, EFFO-CoE was one of the key role players for the Rwandan government and the World Health Organisation due to its great expertise in combating diseases caused by high consequence infectious diseases.
On 27 September 2024, the Rwandan government announces an outbreak of Marburg fever – primarily affecting healthcare staff in clinics. The World Health Organization (WHO) responses quickly by supporting the government in managing the outbreak. An operation centre is set up as well as various “pillars”, in which, for example, clinical management or Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) are dealt with. Experts from the GHPP project “Efficiency by Edification – Center of Excellence” (EFFO-CoE) made a major contribution to this. The project active in Rwanda strengthens the management of diseases caused by high consequence infectious diseases (HCID) – including Marburg fever.
The EFFO-CoE team specialises in HCID management, is well networked within the Rwandan health system and works closely with the Rwandan health authorities. These are important reasons why EFFO-CoE has been involved in outbreak management by the government and WHO from an early stage.
Advice and training
Since an EFFO-CoE project coordinator was on site, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) was able to participate directly in the daily meetings of the IPC pillar. At these meetings national and international stakeholders developed together national IPC guidelines for outbreak control. An IPC “Train of the Trainers” programme of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) took place with significant support from the RKI.
A training course on the clinical management of HCID designed by EFFO-CoE was provided at short notice in consultation with the Rwandan side to combat the outbreak. Five representatives of Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, who had already conducted training courses in Rwanda as part of EFFO-CoE, travelled to Kigali in November. They identified the training needs on site and implemented two training courses lasting for several days.
A total of nearly 100 people took part. They came from the University Central Hospital of Kigali (CHUK) and the Marburg Treatment Centre in Kigali. The training sessions therefore drew on the participants’ experiences from the outbreak, while also imparting further knowledge on the treatment of people suffering from Marburg fever. Training was also provided on the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in accordance with WHO guidelines to strengthen further assets in intensive care.
Relevant for future outbreak control
The presence of an EFFO-CoE project coordinator on site was important to be able to provide immediate support to Rwanda in fighting the outbreak. In cooperation with Rwandan and German partners, information on the outbreak was collected, discussions were held with local institutions and technical advice was provided. During the on-site training, the EFFO-CoE team was able to establish further relevant contacts for future training activities.
Outbreak management in Rwanda worked well: in November 2024, there were 66 laboratory-confirmed cases, 15 of which were fatal. With a mortality rate of 23 percent, this is one of the lowest mortality rates ever recorded in a Marburg fever outbreak. EFFO-CoE was able to contribute its expertise through solid rapport with local networks. The training courses, which are a central component of the project, strengthened the skills of health workers in the clinical management of HCID diseases – the only way to combat future outbreaks.
