Following the confirmation of an Ebola Bundibugyo case in Nigeria, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for urgent international support for the country.
Africa CDC’s director-general, Jean Kaseya, said this through the agency’s official X handle on Tuesday.
Mr Kaseya also urged partners to provide immediate funding, medical supplies, diagnostics and trained emergency responders.
According to him, the call follows a discussion with Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, who informed him of the confirmed case.
He commended Mr Pate for his transparency and leadership, stressing that early reporting of outbreaks was essential to saving lives and strengthening public health responses.
The Africa CDC chief urged the international community to provide immediate, flexible financing, medical supplies, diagnostic equipment, trained responders, and stronger community-based surveillance to contain the outbreak.
He warned that the outbreak must not be allowed to spread to additional countries or continue for another year, emphasising that delays in response could lead to more deaths.
“My appeal to the international community is urgent: Act now. We need immediate, flexible financing, medical supplies, diagnostics, trained responders and stronger community-based surveillance. We cannot allow this outbreak to spread to more countries or continue for another year.
“Every day of delay costs lives. Africa’s health security is global health security. Stopping Ebola in Africa today means protecting the world. Nigeria has our full solidarity. Together, we must defeat this outbreak,” he said.
Mr Kaseya said Africa CDC had begun mobilising support for Nigeria while intensifying response efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Kenya and maintaining heightened vigilance in Uganda.
According to him, the outbreak has become the most geographically widespread Ebola outbreak in history, affecting multiple countries across three African regions.
He recalled that Africa CDC declared the outbreak on May 15, warning of its regional dimension and potential implications for public health security.
Mr Kaseya noted that the situation remained particularly serious in DRC, where the case fatality rate was approaching 50 per cent.
He stressed that Africa’s health security was inseparable from global health security, calling for stronger international cooperation to stop the outbreak and prevent further spread.
Mr Kaseya reaffirmed Africa CDC’s solidarity with Nigeria, urging countries and development partners to work together to defeat the outbreak and protect populations across the continent.
(NAN)
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