The 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa kicked off on Monday (Aug. 26) in Brazzaville, The Congo.
During 5 days, nearly 1,000 delegates including the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as well as health ministers from 47 member-countries will meet.
Among the pressing issues is the global Mpox epidemics, WHO Regional Director for Africa confirmed.
“I think what people should take first of all is our great determination to do something about mpox, and to do something differently from what has happened in the past. So we are working very hard in the background with the member states, we have supported many of them to develop plans.”
Discussions on health issues the continent grapples will focus on providing solutions.
Topics such as “Transformation for Results: Strengthening African Health Systems through WHO Reforms,” “WHO Investment Cycle: Amplifying Africa’s Voice,” “Addressing the Public Health Emergency of Preventable Child Mortality in the WHO African Region” are high on the agenda of the session.
Africa’s “expertise in handling epidemics”
Africa has recorded high mortality rates from diseases such as malaria, meningitis and cholera for decades.
The executive secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance was confident:
“The African continent has been dealing with epidemics consistently for centuries, and over the years, we have developed increasing expertise in handling epidemics,” Joy Phumaphi said.
“The fact that we have an mpox epidemic now should not cause people to panic, because it is in a continent that is used to dealing with this type of crisis.”
The spread of a new and deadlier strain of the mpox virus in central and eastern African countries as well in high contamination in countries including the US forced the WHO to declare a global emergency.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is the epicentre of the global crisis. Officials from the country attended the Brazzaville meeting.
“Our country has a huge experience in dealing with many epidemics situations, and this is one of them. I think participating in this meeting will help us to be sensitized and also to have the support of partners.”
The WHO on Monday (Aug. 26) launched a global drive to tackle human-to-human transmission of mpox.
The Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan will run from September to February 2025 and require 135 million dollars in funding.
At the opening meeting, some key decision makers from international health organizations promised to provide more funds to help end outbreaks like mpox in Africa.