As the entire world came to know well in the last five years, viral diseases can spread. They can spread across cities, countries and continents. And they can spread quickly. 

RedR Australia’s roster member Aimé understands well the threat and devastating impacts of viral diseases. Currently deployed to Burundi in East Africa with the United Nations agency the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Aime’s role as an Emergency Public Health Officer is to support the government’s work of preventing the spread of diseases at key migration points—like airports and border crossings, including formal and informal ones.  

“You need clean water at each point of entry. In a country like Burundi, you need to constantly rehabilitate the boreholes and maintain the plumbing,” explained Aime.  

“When you don't have funding, this infrastructure may fall into poor condition, which affects how disease surveillance is done.” 

Leaner resources mean greater risk for diseases to spread 

With recent major cuts to global humanitarian funding, countries like Burundi are pressed to maintain the infrastructure needed to tackle the spread of viral diseases. 

“You need to make sure you have rooms where you can isolate patients or travelers who present with symptoms for Ebola, Mpox, Marburg and other dangerous diseases,” said Aimé. “You need those places to constantly have power, water, disinfectants and so on.” 

Collaborating to prevent the spread of Mpox, Marburg and Ebola 

In August last year, the World Health Organization declared an upsurge of Mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries as a public health emergency of international concern. Since then, IOM has been supporting the Government of the Republic of Burundi to increase their capacity to respond. 

Funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Aimé’s important work in Burundi focuses on working with IOM, other UN agencies and the government to ensure they have the resources to isolate the spread of viral diseases. 

With thousands of confirmed Mpox cases in Burundi, as well a rise in cases of Marburg disease (a hemorrhagic fever disease like Ebola) regionally, Aimé has worked hard to respond to urgent needs. 

“My main job is to mobilise resources for the public health emergency response, particularly Mpox, but also Marburg and other communicable diseases that go through borders. I work with other UN organisations to jointly plan and bring in IOM’s perspective,” said Aimé. 

Neighbouring DRC also experiences recurring Ebola outbreaks, with a consistently high risk of resurgence. 

With the effects of the recent global budget cuts already having a huge impact on organisations like IOM, Aimé’s role has become even more crucial. 

As part of numerous working groups, Aimé’s role is important to help coordinate and advise a variety of organisations who work together to stem the spread of viral diseases. 

“I have been co-leading several technical ad hoc groups. I am also supporting the Ministry of Health to run working groups,” explained Aimé.  

For Aimé, this is important for the sustainability of the response. “It’s important to support localisation and empower local actors, because local governments have the expertise,” he said.

Aime (second from right) visits Gatumba to witness a first-of-its-kind border-point vaccination clinic, which aims to support mobile and hard-to-reach populations. 

This humanitarian life 

Aimé’s deployment in Burundi is also a homecoming. Born and raised in Burundi, he worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as a young person, then left for Australia in his early 20s. 

Pursuing a humanitarian career, Aime studied international politics, international relations and international law. He has a Masters in peace studies and conflict resolution, and has been finishing a PhD in political science. He gained humanitarian and development experience working in countries around the world, including for the Australian Government’s overseas aid program on various country desks including Sri Lanka, Solomon Islands, Philippines, Pakistan and North Korea. He has also lectured in international relations and international development at several universities in Australia. 

“Taking something back to the country that brought you up is a unique privilege,” said Aimé.  

“Going back there and working as a senior humanitarian—it’s a good feeling. And it's a good feeling because I’ve learned so much from other parts of the world, particularly in the Asia–Pacific, but also the Middle East and other countries in Africa.

“Because whatever is happening in Burundi is very likely to have also happened in Liberia, in Cameroon, in Burkina Faso, in Bangladesh. So, when you bring in that thinking and the application of those tools in managing risks, it's very much appreciated.” 

Supporting frontline workers 

For Aimé, it’s important to acknowledge the strength of the individuals and communities working tirelessly to prevent diseases. He is quick to point out the incredible resilience he sees every day while working with IOM in Burundi. 

“Every health worker you meet is working in very difficult conditions. They are working tirelessly, day and night, to stop the spread of diseases,” said Aimé. 

“Burundi is in the bottom 10 poorest countries in the world according to the Human Development Index. And you can’t not see that—that sort of level of resilience—and not be impressed by it”.  

“The Ministry of Health has very limited resources, and yet they manage to do good work in terms of surveillance of diseases.” 

RedR Australia roster member Aime (right) at a border vaccination clinic in Burundi. 

Simulations can save lives 

For Aimé, a highlight from his deployment was running a simulation training exercise at Kobero, one of the biggest border crossing points between Burundi and Tanzania. The simulation brought together a wide range of actors who are important for disease control—from government officials, to health workers and truck drivers—ranging from those at border points to those in the capital, Gitega. 

“The simulation aimed to see how the standard operating procedures for managing passenger flow respond when there is a case alert for Marburg disease, or any other hemorrhagic fever disease,” said Aimé. 

“I've done a number of simulation exercises in various settings, including in Liberia, Bangladesh, Lebanon and Armenia. And in Burundi, we managed to create a multi-sector response in this particular exercise, so we’re more prepared for future outbreaks. It was a big success.” 

Aimé’s current role is the second time he’s deployed to Burundi through RedR Australia. This deployment with IOM has been purposefully supported by the United Kingdom’s Foreign Commonwealth Department Office (FCDO). FCDO are a great supporter of humanitarian and development programs and are currently supporting the delivery of four critical roles across Africa with RedR Australia.  

Learn more about the work of RedR Australia’s roster members.