Africa must deepen health cooperation to contain Ebola outbreaks—Health Minister

African Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has urged intensified cooperation among nations to bolster the continent's capacity to anticipate and curb disease outbreaks. He emphasized the necessity of enhancing data exchange, expertise, and technological advancements to detect and isolate health threats before their transregional spread.

The remarks follow mounting apprehensions regarding the Ebola virus's proliferation across Africa, with the Democratic Republic of Congo bearing the brunt of the recent outbreak in terms of cases and fatalities. Akandoh stressed that nations cannot confront emerging epidemics in isolation. "We must not await an outbreak to start coordinating.

Hence, the region, the sub-region, must unite and collaborate, sharing knowledge, experiences, and technology to effectively contain or combat outbreaks within the sub-region," he asserted. Furthermore, he advocated for heightened investment in indigenous pharmaceutical and medical manufacturing throughout Africa to diminish the continent's reliance on external resources during health crises.

"When an outbreak occurs in one country, neighboring countries must demonstrate solidarity and prepare to prevent a similar outbreak in their own territory," he emphasized. Akandoh praised the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) for its role in managing health emergencies but underscored the need to fortify regional coordination.

He cited the COVID-19, Marburg, and Mpox outbreaks as evidence of the critical importance of early identification, swift response, and persistent readiness. Akandoh maintained that enhanced regional collaboration would enable African countries to contain outbreaks more effectively and safeguard populations against the risk of cross-border transmission.