The African Union has expressed solidarity with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in its fight against Ebola outbreak in some parts of the country. The Commissioner for Social Affairs, H.E. Amira Elfadil Mohammed Elfadil, conveyed the message of solidarity today during a meeting with Prof. Jean Jacques Muyembe Tamfum, Head of the DRC Ebola Response, at the Institute of Research and Biomedical, Kinshasa.
“I’m here to relay the message of solidarity of the African Union with the DRC on the issue of Ebola. We have been providing support and we want to increase our support in line with the priorities of your government,” said H.E. Amira Elfadil.
Commissioner Elfadil informed Prof. Tamfum about the plan of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission to convene a meeting of partners to discuss how to strengthen support to DRC and other countries in the region on Ebola issues.
“The chairperson is planning a partners conference like the one we held during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa so we can quickly bring an end to the current outbreak and prevent it from spreading to other countries,” said H.E. Elfadil.
Prof. Tamfum thanked the African Union for the support provided until date through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and emphasized the need for better coordination in supporting the national response plan.
“Combating Ebola is a difficult task, but we have the expertise. It is very important for all partners to recognize the leadership of the Government of DRC and work together in supporting the national response plan,” said Prof. Tamfum.
He said the two objectives of the President of the DRC in the current Ebola response are: to end the outbreak and to take advantage of external support to strengthen the country’s health system.
He said that one area that the country requires support is in the sharing of surveillance and preparedness information between DRC experts and experts from the neighbouring countries. He noted that other forms of support required would be documented and sent to the African Union for consideration.
After the meeting, Prof. Tamfum took the AU delegation and journalists on a tour of the new facility for the Institute of Research and Biomedical, which is currently under construction and includes a P3 laboratory that will be equipped with modern facilities to enhance disease diagnosis and control in the country.
