WHO said that Africa therefore needed to mobilise at least US$106.8 million in order to tackle the public health emergencies and expected that African health ministers attending the ongoing 66th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia would consider this option as a strategy to deal with the emergencies.

“With more than 100 public health emergencies occurring each year in the African Region, health ministers attending the 66th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa will consider a $106.8 million strategy to tackle the public health emergencies that threaten everyone in Africa and disrupt the regional economy,” said a statement from WHO.

Health ministers from the 47 countries in the region would decide on a number of policy commitments in the Regional Strategy for Health Security and Emergencies 2016 – 2020.

“One of the strategy’s most significant commitments, in direct response to the many outbreaks seen across the continent, is that by 2018, at least 80 percent of the 47 countries will have tested and funded all ­hazards preparedness plans, conducted outbreak and disaster risk analyses and mapping, and implemented policies and guidelines to support International Health Regulations (IHR) and Disaster Risk Management (DRM) implementation,” said WHO.

Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, is expected to advocate for renewed commitment from Member States to sustain the African Public Health Emergency Fund (APHEF), which has already contributed to recent health campaigns in Africa.

WHO said that some of the APHEF resources have funded vaccination campaigns to contain the current outbreaks of yellow fever, and established emergency treatment centres to manage cholera in drought-­stricken southern Africa.

“Out of the 100 public health emergencies that occur in the African Region every year, infectious diseases account for 80 percent; disasters 18 percent, chemical poisoning and acute severe malnutrition account for only two percent,” said WHO adding that the recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa received the lion’s share of attention.

WHO projected that the Regional Strategy would establish a target that by 2020, at least 80 percent of Member States should have a fully functioning public health emergency operation centre (EOC) and a functional national laboratory system and network that meets minimum standards.

Over 80 percent of Member States should have an adequate health work force to respond to outbreaks and health emergencies and at least 90 percent of Member States should be implementing the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) including event ­based surveillance systems with at least 90 percent country coverage by 2020.

ANA