AU meeting underlines post-Ebola recovery

The African Union (AU) international conference on Ebola kicked off Monday in Malabo, capital of Equatorial Guinea, to share experiences in Africa's fight against Ebola and discuss post-epidemic recovery and reconstruction for Ebola-affected countries.

Under the theme of "Africa helping Africans in the Ebola Recovery and Reconstruction", the two-day event brings together government officials, UN and regional agencies, and private sectors, to share experiences and lessons learned in the fight against Ebola.

Special focus is also given to the commitment to assisting Ebola-affected countries, especially Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, in their recovery and reconstruction efforts, and further in the prevention of future public health outbreak on the continent.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, AU Commissioner for Social Affairs Mustapha Kaloko said the Ebola outbreak in parts of West Africa is now the largest, longest, and most complex in nearly four-decade history of the disease.

"The uniqueness of this outbreak has highlighted the fragile health systems in the affected countries and the significant deficits in the human, financial and material resources needed for an effective and timely response to outbreaks," he said.

"In addition to the death and illness caused by Ebola, there has been an upsurge in mortality and morbidity from other diseases and conditions. This is linked to the collapse of health systems, which significantly erode local capacities in critical areas," said Kaloko.

The AU official said health funding in most African countries is below what it is required to achieve a functional, basic health system. There is need for new initiatives to diversify funding resources.

He called for a greater support for recovery efforts for the three affected countries, including ensuring the resilience of health systems to "enable them to respond to outbreaks and other humanitarian emergencies, as well as to continue dealing with non-Ebola health issues."

First reported in March 2014, the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has claimed over 11,200 lives by far.

The AU conference is expected to come up with a clear way forward for the establishment of a global policy and strategic framework for an effective response against Ebola Virus Disease and other major endemic diseases on the continent. It will also generate support for the takeoff of the pan-African health agency, the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Endit