ADDIS ABABA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Thursday emphasized the urgent need to enhance continental capabilities, as many African countries lack the necessary capacity to detect and respond to potential hantavirus threats.
Yap Boum II, head of the emergency preparedness and response division at the Africa CDC, told an online media briefing that the agency's recent assessment of the continent's preparedness to hantavirus has revealed critical gaps in surveillance capabilities across many African countries.
Highlighting that about 40 percent of countries currently lack functional surveillance systems capable of early detection of suspected hantavirus cases, he said a significant portion of the continent is vulnerable to potential undetected outbreaks.
Tolbert Nyenswah, director of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response at the Africa CDC, underlined the significance of enhancing early case recognition and promoting timely implementation of the 45-day monitoring protocol for exposed or at-risk individuals.
He urged targeted and rigorous infection prevention and control measures to reduce the risk of possible transmission.
According to the Africa CDC, it is currently working to enhance the capacity of national and regional laboratories to swiftly diagnose and confirm hantavirus infections, with a focus on employing molecular methods.
Hantaviruses are carried by rodents and can cause severe disease in humans. People usually get infected through contact with infected rodents or their urine, droppings or saliva. ■
