African health ministers agree to joint measures to curb cross-border spread of Ebola

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Health ministers from nine African countries agreed Wednesday on a set of measures to be jointly implemented in a bid to stop the cross-border spread of the deadly Ebola disease following its outbreak in Uganda.

The ministers and other government officials from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda endorsed the key measures at a high-level emergency meeting in Ugandan capital, Kampala.

The measures include disease surveillance, contact tracing and monitoring, prompt alert notification, information sharing and the joint training of emergency responders, as well as carrying out simulation exercises to enhance preparedness and response, a statement by the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The resolution was reached after an assessment revealed that the risk of the Sudan ebolavirus spreading to neighboring countries is high due to cross-border movements between Uganda and other countries.

Uganda announced an outbreak of the Sudan ebolavirus on Sept. 20, marking the first time the species – one of six under the Ebolavirus genus – was detected in the country since 2012.

The outbreak has since affected five districts.

“One of the crucial lessons Africa has learnt from previous Ebola outbreaks is that by uniting, we stay a step ahead of the virus. Through sharing information and resources, countries can go from firefighting to building an outbreak firewall and halting the spread of infections,” said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

“The joint efforts agreed upon place Uganda and the region on the road to breaking Ebola’s grip.”

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni in a national address Wednesday said 54 cases were confirmed and 19 deaths as of Oct. 12. He clarified that there are no confirmed Ebola cases in Kampala.

More than 1,000 contacts have been identified, while 20 people have recovered from the disease.

Ahmed Ogwell Ouma, acting director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), stressed the need for collaborative efforts in ensuring the health security of the East Africa region and beyond.

“We as a continent must work together to plan, prepare and respond to the Ebola outbreak and other public health threats through resource sharing, regional efforts to build resilience capacity of human resources, strengthening laboratory systems, surveillance, treatment and care,” he said.

The ministers also resolved to conduct cross-border public awareness and community awareness campaigns as well as the rapid cross-border deployment of medical personnel to tackle the disease.

With no effective vaccine against the Sudan ebolavirus is yet licensed, Ugandan health authorities rely on supportive care for confirmed cases with stepped up testing, surveillance, infection prevention and control. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​