Rwanda has closed its border with the Democratic Republic of Congo because of the deadly Ebola outbreak, a government official has said.
The closure comes after a man died of the viral fever in the DRC’s major city of Goma, which borders Rwanda.
He was the second confirmed Ebola case in Goma.
The death increased fears the virus could take root in the densely populated city of two million.
Doctor Aruna Abedi, the Ebola coordinator for North Kivu province, said a person who had made contact with the man is receiving treatment after showing signs of the illness.
Congo’s health ministry said the person who came into contact with the victim is his one-year-old daughter. The father died on Wednesday and had spent several days at home with his large family while showing symptoms.
If the case is confirmed, it would be the first transmission of Ebola in this outbreak inside Goma.
Commenting on the Rwanda border being sealed, the DRC’s presidency said “the Congolese authorities deplore this decision, which runs counter to the advice of the World Health Organisation” on fighting the virus.
The WHO, which last month declared this year-long Ebola outbreak a global health emergency, has advised against travel restrictions.
However, the organisation said the risk of regional spread is “very high”.
The outbreak in North Kivu province, which the DRC confirmed almost a year ago, has killed more than 1,800 people so far, making it the second-deadliest Ebola emergency in history.
