Africa’s new disease control agency reacted early and quickly to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa ended officially in June 2016. In January 2017, John Nkengasong began work as head of Africa’s new Centres for Disease Control .
He has spent most of his career at the CDC in the US, specialising in virology. Moving to Addis Ababa to take up his new job was initially something of a shock. At that stage, the Africa CDC was little more than an African Union resolution, and it was his job to build it, from the foundations up. He was in the job for only five months before the next crisis hit: another Ebola outbreak, this time in eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo .
But there is no doubt that the novel coronavirus is the greatest test that this young institution has faced. Nkengasong is proud of its response. But there is still so much to be done. At the time of this interview, Nkengasong was preparing to brief the AU’s Peace and Security Council, hoping to persuade them to make more airlift capacity available to move supplies around the continent. “Quite honestly we cannot be complacent. We know that any region or country that has been complacent has had it very bad — the UK [United Kingdom], the French, the Italians.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
South Africa needs a constitutionally compliant immigration policy - The Mail & GuardianFor Jewish people, ‘You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.’ South Africans should remember they were once strangers in their own country, writes GarySEisenberg.
Read more »
Coronavirus: Africa scrambles to ramp up Covid-19 testingWith coronavirus infections accelerating in Africa, the African Union is scrambling to make up a huge shortfall in testing capacity across the continent to try to get ahead of the pandemic curve.
Read more »
Labat Africa drops profit guidance as virus impacts lingerThe investment holding company’s revenue for the six months to end-February 2020 has plummeted
Read more »
Ramaphosa welcomes Cuban health professionals in South AfricaThe 217 Cuban health specialists and workers landed in South Africa on Monday, as the country commemorated Freedom Day.
Read more »
One new COVID-19 death in South AfricaThe number of coronavirus deaths in South Africa has risen by one to 87.
Read more »
WANDILE SIHLOBO: Pandemic adds to food insecurity in Africa, but little threat yet in SASome global meat plants have been forced to close but only pork supplies stand to be affected locally
Read more »