Africa CDC threatens blacklist over outbreak fund transparency

The Africa CDC has warned that it will blacklist organisations that do not provide transparency and accountability regarding funds received for disease outbreak responses, according to Punch Nigeria.

Regarding the current Ebola outbreak, Daily Post Nigeria reports that the Africa CDC Director General, Dr. Jean Kaseya, stated that vaccines are unavailable because partners view the outbreak as an African issue. Kaseya noted that if the outbreak occurred in Western countries, vaccines would already be available.

The Daily Post Nigeria reports that the outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus, a rare strain for which there is no approved vaccine or specific treatment. While the Ervebo vaccine is licensed for the strain that caused the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic, it does not cover the Bundibugyo strain. The Africa CDC has begun clinical trials for new vaccines, including one manufactured in Egypt.

The current outbreak is described as the most geographically widespread in history, affecting three regions of Africa. In the Democratic Republic of Congo alone, there have been over 9,500 infections and approximately 4,600 deaths.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Punch, Daily Post Nigeria — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.