YAOUNDE, Aug. 15– The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has committed 15 million U.S. dollars to the Central African Republic (CAR) to bolster its national response plan against Ebola, the CAR presidency said Saturday.
Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya announced the funding during a meeting Friday with CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera. The two leaders also discussed plans to open an Africa CDC country office in Bangui, a move both sides described as key to strengthening health security and protecting communities.
“The Africa CDC stands in solidarity with the Central African Republic,” the statement said, adding that the support backs President Touadera’s goal “to anticipate, contain and defeat epidemics that threaten the stability and well-being of our population.”
While no Ebola cases have been reported in CAR, the Africa CDC lists the country among 11 nations at high risk for the virus. Thursday, the agency expressed concern over the worsening Ebola outbreak in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the death toll has now topped 2,000. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
