NAIROBI, Oct. 2 — Kenya on Friday urged African countries to collaborate in managing to emerge and re-emerging long-standing healthcare threats in the continent.
Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary in the Ministry of Health noted that regional collaboration should be established to help stop the spread of diseases in the continent.
“We have to come together to share knowledge and harness Africa’s public health resources to inform countries and development partners in their effort to enhance regional disease control systems across Africa,” Kagwe said during the launch of the Africa CDC regional collaboration center in Nairobi.
Kagwe observed that the current situation underscores the importance of strengthening regional disease surveillance systems and emergency response capabilities across the continent.
He added that the COVID-19 pandemic is an illustration of how the undetected transmission of pathogens across borders can quickly transfer a local disease outbreak into a regional and global health emergency.
The official noted that as African countries recover from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is growing pressure on governments and regional bodies to safeguard the health of populations.
He added that the challenge of regional disease surveillance and control is now at the forefront of policy around global public health.
Kagwe urged governments to put policies in place to ensure the continental CDC regional collaboration center swiftly detects and effectively addresses disease outbreaks before they become a threat.
He called for the gathering of quality information and data as well as knowledge and information at all levels. – Xinhua
