The Commission of The African Union on Monday called for an urgent global response to tackle the Ebola virus ravaging some countries in West Africa.
The commission’s Chairperson, Dr. Dlamini Zuma, made the call in a statement issued in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Monday.
Zuma said continental and global action was needed to tackle the epidemic “which poses a threat to global health and development”.
Zuma said the Ebola outbreak had further provided the impetus for urgent establishment of an African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention for early detection, preparedness and response.
She commended the ongoing continental and global efforts to turn the tide against the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The epidemic had killed 729 people out of 1,323 infected persons since February, according to the latest reports of the World Health Organisation.
Ebola is the most complex virus the West African region had experienced since it first occurred in 1976.
The virus is spreading throughout the Republic of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and one case had been recorded, following the death of an infected Liberian national shortly after he arrived in Lagos.
Zuma called for urgent measures to tackle the outbreak to prevent it from spreading to other parts of the sub-region and beyond.
“Various mechanisms will need to be put in place to ensure that African countries are prepared to deal with the threat,” she said.
The chairperson said AU would support efforts to mobilise member states, partners and the international community to get rid of the ailment.
Zuma, however, appealed for more resources “to meet the deployment of several hundred medical personnel in affected countries to ease the strain on overstretched treatment facilities”.
She called for greater action to stop the epidemic through the strengthening of surveillance systems and community education.
The commission is already working on a framework to establish the African Public Health Emergency Fund through collaboration with the AU member states.
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