AU plans to send health volunteers to strengthen coronavirus readiness

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The African Union (AU) has prepared a health task force made of 50 personnel to be deployed to its member states to bolster efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), its Centre for Disease Control said on Tuesday.

The Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) said the pending deployment of the health volunteers was based on the African public health strategy, focused on prevention of the spread of the virus.

Dr Ahmed Ogwel, the Deputy Director at the Africa CDC, said the deployment of the health personnel was meant to deepen detection and rapid containment of the virus.

The Africa CDC held a training session in Nairobi, Kenya, for 40 participants from nine countries on enhancing detection and investigation of COVID-19 at major airports, border crossing points and all national points of entry.

The training is co-facilitated by Africa CDC, World Health Organisation, and the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO). Two airlines, Kenya Airways and South African Airlines, were represented in the training. 

The holding of the training session in Nairobi is part of efforts to intensify the training of healthcare workers and the availability testing kits for the effective handling of COVID-19.

This follows the confirmation of the first case of the virus in Egypt, senior health official said at the AU said.

Earlier, Dr John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa CDC and Prevention, said training of the health workers would intensify following the first confirmed case.

In the next two weeks, the AU plans to roll out a comprehensive disease prevention and control strategy for Egypt, the AU said.

The AU said further training and resources will be provided to Egypt and other at-risk countries to enable the North African nation to implement an infection prevention strategy.

The AU will also help Egypt to implement the disease control plans within healthcare facilities and in the medical management of COVID-19, the Africa CDC chief said.

There would be further training on risk communication and community engagement, the AU officials said.

On 14 February 2020, the Egyptian Minister of Health and Population, Dr Hala Zayed, confirmed the first case of the COVID-19 in Egypt.  The minister confirmed the patient, w 33-year-old male foreigner, was currently receiving treatment at an isolation centre in Egypt.

The 17 contacts of the patient have tested negative, and all of them are under home isolation for 14 days.

Africa CDC is working closely with the WHO and other partners to ensure the diagnostic tools needed by Egypt are available.

The AU said steps are being taken to ensure Egypt also takes the right actions to contain the outbreak as quickly as possible.  

"We anticipated the COVID-19 outbreak would inevitably impact Africa. That is why Africa CDC has been working actively with AU Member States and partners in the past four weeks and investing in preparedness and response to the disease," Nkengasong said. 

The AU official said the detection by Egyptian authorities is evidence of the strategy that Africa CDC and Member States have adopted in combating the disease. 

-0- PANA AO/MA 18Feb2020