AU, Africa CDC leaders urge enhanced solidarity to contain expanding Ebola
Addis Ababa: The African Union (AU) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have called for urgent solidarity and coordinated continental action to contain the rapidly spreading Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak.
The joint call came after AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya discussed continental Ebola response and preparedness efforts on Thursday, Kaseya said in a statement.
The two leaders made “a strong call for transparency, solidarity and coordinated continental action, with timely, collective decisions to contain the outbreak and protect our populations.”
Kaseya stressed that the evolving situation concerning the Ebola outbreak demands coordinated efforts across sectors, stronger preparedness, and timely mobilisation of resources where they are most urgently needed, Xinhua News Agency reported.
“This is a moment for African solidarity, decisive leadership, and collective responsibility,” said Kaseya, underscoring the vital importance of strengthening partnerships and advancing Africa’s health security and sovereignty agenda.
The urgent call came as Nigeria on Tuesday became the fifth country to record a confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola case.
Following the confirmed case in the West African nation, the rapidly spreading virus has now affected three African regions, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa, as well as Uganda and Kenya in East Africa.
Amid growing concerns over potential further spread of the virus, the AU’s specialised continental public health agency is set to convene a high-level ministerial meeting next week to advance the continent’s collective response to the deadly outbreak.
The online emergency crisis meeting, scheduled to be held on Wednesday, is expected to bring together African ministers of health, alongside ministers of finance and transport, according to Kaseya.
The Africa CDC declared the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of continental security on May 18, one day after the World Health Organisation declared the situation a public health emergency of international concern.