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Nairobi, Dec 15 (IANS) The inaugural conference on public health in Africa (CPHIA 2021) began with leaders, policymakers, and scientists calling for enhanced response to the Covid-19 pandemic in light of new variants.
President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame said that reimagining Africa's public health systems was urgent to boost the continent's response to the pandemic amid its heavy toll on the economy and livelihoods, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to Kagame, the pandemic served as a wake-up call for the continent to invest in resilient health systems, boost local manufacturing of vaccines, drugs, and testing kits besides improving the skills of local healthcare personnel.
The first-ever conference on public health in Africa to take place virtually from December 14 to 16 will provide a platform to share best practices on how to reinvigorate the war against the pandemic, he added.
More than 10,000 participants, including Heads of state and governments, senior policymakers, scholars, advocates, and innovators will participate in the three-day conference convened by the African Union and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Issues to be discussed at the conference include creating a new public health order for the continent, collaborative research, and enhanced surveillance to boost response to future pandemics.
Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission noted that the continent's economies, stability, and public health security had been shaken by the pandemic hence the need for a swift, well-coordinated response.
"The pandemic has created the urgency to build a resilient public health order in Africa. We need equitable health systems, research, training, and collaboration to boost response to the pandemic," said Mahamat.
The continent's ability to withstand the pandemic's shocks hinges on improving its capacity to produce diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics amid disruptions in the global supply chains, he added.
John Nkengasong, the Director of Africa CDC, said the continent has drawn lessons from Covid-19 to strengthen home-grown interventions geared toward minimising strain on the public health systems.
According to Nkengasong, Africa is currently better prepared to respond to future pandemics amid revamped surveillance infrastructure, training of local epidemiologists, and improved public awareness.
--IANS
int/khz/
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