On November 19, 2024, ICAP will present the Grand Rounds — The Marburg Virus: Outbreak Status and Response in Rwanda.

Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a severe, often fatal illness that is clinically similar to the Ebola virus disease. An extremely virulent disease, MVD is spread between people via direct contact with bodily fluids and with surfaces and materials contaminated with these fluids. On September 27, 2024, the Rwanda Ministry of Health announced the country’s first-ever outbreak of the disease. By October 10, 2024, a total of 58 cases of MVD had been reported in the country, including 13 deaths and 15 recoveries. The Rwandan government is implementing rigorous testing, contact tracing, and isolation and quarantine measures to contain the outbreak.

Experts from the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will present on the current status of the MVD outbreak across Rwanda, response efforts, and ways forward.

This event is co-sponsored by the NYC Pandemic Response Institute.

Presenters

Otim Patrick Cossy Ramadan, MBChB
Senior Health Emergency Officer; Team Lead, Acute Emergencies; and Incident Manager, Marburg Response in Rwanda at the World Health Organization (WHO), Regional Office for Africa, Congo-Brazzaville
Dr. Otim Patrick Cossy Ramadan is a medical doctor with a Master’s of Public Health from Makerere University in Uganda. A public health expert, Dr. Otim has vast experience in infectious disease epidemiology, emergency preparedness and response, incident management systems, and public health surveillance in South Sudan, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Rwanda. He is currently the senior health emergency officer and team lead for acute emergencies as well as the incident manager for the Marburg response in Rwanda for the World Health Organization at the Regional Office for Africa, Congo-Brazzaville. Previously, Dr. Otim has served as the regional incident manager for the multi-country cholera outbreak (2023-24), the regional incident manager for the Sudan Ebola Virus outbreak in Uganda (2022-23), and the incident manager for the WHO COVID-19 response in South Africa (2020-22), among other roles.

Merawi Aragaw Tegegne, MD, MPH
Head of the Surveillance and Disease Intelligence Division, Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Dr. Merawi Aragaw Tegegne is a medical epidemiologist and head of the Surveillance and Disease Intelligence Division at the Africa CDC. He served as acting head of the Division for Emergency Preparedness and Response for Africa CDC for over six years. He has 20+ years of experience in public health surveillance, disease intelligence, emergency response, and disaster risk management. Dr. Merawi played a significant role in establishing Africa CDC, serving as a member of the multinational expert committee of the African Union for the establishment of Africa CDC from 2014-2016. He is a medical doctor, holds a master’s degree in public health, and is a fellow of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine’s Executive Programme in Global Health Leadership.