The third meeting of CDC Africa Regional Technical Advisory Committee for Southern Africa has been held in Maputo since yesterday, Monday.
The event aims, among other objectives, to assess progress on the establishment of the CDC Africa Collaborating Centre for Southern Africa (SA-RCC) as the technical and scientific coordination entity for public health emergency preparedness, response and recovery in the region, as well as to assess and discuss progress in the process of establishing National Institutes of Public Health in SADC countries.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the event (which ends today, Tuesday), the Minister of Health, Armindo Tiago, congratulated the organisation for its commitment in building and improving the response capacities to public health emergencies on the African continent and, in particular, in the Southern African region.
The governor highlighted the importance of the Committee as a forum for discussion and definition of strategies to strengthen regional collaboration in order to face regional public health emergencies.
“Our region faces several public health challenges, with particular emphasis on the circulation of wild poliovirus, recurrent outbreaks of cholera, high vulnerability to extreme weather events, direct and indirect consequences of the covid-19 pandemic and high burden of HIV and malaria, among other challenges. These health shocks require assertive responses and better regional coordination,” he said.
During these two days, relevant topics for the southern region were discussed, with particular emphasis on the consolidation of the integrated surveillance network and laboratories, as well as the need to consolidate national public health institutes.
It should be noted that the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) is a specialized technical agency of the African Union, which aims to support member states in their efforts to respond effectively to public health emergencies.
