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Rwandan health authorities have beefed up awareness campaigns and community engagement initiatives as part of efforts to reduce the risk of spread of Ebola into its borders.

The Ebola outbreak has been reported in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that there is a possibility it could spread over tens of kilometres.

WHO has urged DR Congo’s neighbours to urgently strengthen their surveillance and alert systems for early detection of potential cases, and overall preparedness for timely and effective response.

As part of Rwanda’s prevention plan, health authorities are using different communication channels like television, radio, billboards and newspaper publications.

The authorities have also rolled out trainings to boost capacity to be able to tackle the disease.

Also, the government has installed screening points at all border entry points.

The DR Congo’s current Ebola outbreak is the country’s 10^th in 40 years, and was officially declared on August 1.

As of October 15, the agency had recorded 181 confirmed cases of Ebola, with another 33 suspected cases.