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The World Health Organization (WHO) advised all countries to refrain from implementing any travel and trade restrictions with Rwanda, saying they are ineffective and unnecessary for the control of the ongoing outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD) in the country.

The WHO added that such a move was potentially harmful to the affected societies and economies.

“In addition, travel and trade restrictions may act as a disincentive for the rapid sharing of public health data and information with and amongst the global health community, which is critical for informed outbreak response,” a statement from the WHO said.

A number of countries have introduced travel-related health measures, including temporarily discouraging travel to the East African country, following the MVD outbreak in late September.

Rather than issue advisories and restrictions, the WHO urged countries to act in line with the requirements of the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) and in the spirit of global solidarity and collaboration.

“Efforts and resources should be directed towards evidence-based public health interventions such as strengthened surveillance for early detection, reporting, and contact tracing; case management; infection prevention and control; risk communication and community engagement; and cross-border collaboration and avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic.”

As of Friday, Rwanda has reported 58 cases of Marburg virus disease and 13 deaths.