24th May 2018 - Geneva, Switzerland: The Troika Ministers of Health in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held an Extra Ordinary Meeting on 23rd May 2018, in the margins of the 71st World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss the recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Ministers urged all SADC Member States to prioritize working together in support of a unified, coordinated and effective response to Ebola and any future disease outbreaks and issued a statement in which they:
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Reaffirmed and supported the announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) on the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and recognized the efforts by Governments, WHO, Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and other partners including civil society for the quick response which included the deployment of medical personnel and the provision of supplies to the DRC during this time;
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Acknowledged the efforts of the African Union (AU) through Africa CDC who have also begun to mobilize medical personnel for the response, and urged the Governments of SADC Member States to start to offer support through equipment, personnel and other means from Governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector as a way of providing the desired assistance to DRC;
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Recognized that the WHO remains a critical partner in providing technical guidance for the implementation of interventions at the national level;
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Urged SADC Member states to work closely with Africa CDC and WHO in the response;
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Welcomed these signs of solidarity, particularly with the deployment of skilled medical teams to DRC, and called on more countries and organizations to move swiftly to support the Government of the DRC, through the Road Map of the WHO, other United Nations Agencies, Africa CDC and other partners so as to meet the desired requirements for the containment of the Ebola outbreak;
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Urged Member States to escalate preparedness activities, including intensified surveillance, designating isolation facilities for case management, comprehensive risk assessment, placing rapid response teams on alert, resource mobilization, stockpiling of personal protective equipment (PPE), laboratory and medical supplies and other commodities;
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Renewed their commitment and joined other partners in their efforts towards the containment of the virus in the DRC;
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Called upon Member States to refrain from closing their borders and points of entry to people coming from DRC, and for airlines and shipping companies to continue to maintain transport and trade links;
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Emphasized the importance of adherence to International Health Regulations, especially regarding cross border transit and urged immigration authorities in consultation with the Ministries of Health, Africa CDC and WHO country offices in the Member States to put in place the necessary prevention measures;
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Urged Member States to work through the existing coordination structures of Africa CDC Regional Collaboration Centre, WHO and national level mechanisms;
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Will continue to work tirelessly in engaging actively with DRC and providing the necessary support in a coordinated manner.
Enquiries
SADC Secretariat Communications and Public Relations Unit: email prinfo@sadc.int or telephone +267 3951863.