U.S. issues travel advisory to this African nation due to disease outbreak, violence

You might want to think twice before planning a trip to this African country.

The U.S. State Department issued a “Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution” advisory for any Americans traveling to the nation of Rwanda.

The State Department updated this travel advisory due to an outbreak of Marburg Virus Disease in Rwandan health facilities, prompting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to also issue a Level 2 Practice Enhanced Health Precautions notice for travelers to Rwanda.

There have also been instances of armed violence taking place in the country that have factored into the State Department’s decision to update its travel advisory, including armed violence on the border between Rwanda and Burundi.

Furthermore, the State Department urged people to “reconsider travel” to the Rwanda-Democratic Republic of the Congo border due to armed violence.

The State Department urges Americans who decide to travel to Rwanda to:

• Visit the CDC Travel Notice on Marburg in Rwanda, which has information on the outbreak.
• Visit the Embassy website and review the latest Alerts and Messages.
• Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.

The State Department also encourages Americans to make contingency plans in case an emergency arises in the country.