ADDIS ABABA, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has welcomed the 2.9 billion U.S. dollars mobilized at the G20+ foreign ministers' meeting to support the Ebola response in Africa.
The Africa CDC, in a statement issued Thursday, commended the "historic mobilization" achieved at the G20+ Foreign Ministers Meeting on Accelerating Collective Action to Defeat Ebola, convened on Wednesday in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.
"The meeting demonstrated what can be achieved when political leadership, affected countries and international partners unite behind one objective: to stop transmission, save lives and end the outbreak," the agency said.
The African Union's specialized continental public health agency said this mobilization of cash and in-kind assistance must now be converted rapidly into disbursements, implementation, and measurable results in affected communities.
"Pledges alone will not stop Ebola. We must be able to trace every single dollar, from commitment to disbursement, from implementing partners to expenditure, and ultimately to the services delivered to affected communities," Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said.
The meeting brought together the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, G20 members, the Africa CDC, partner countries, and international organizations, reinforcing a common message: financing must support continental cross-border activities, align with nationally-led priorities, and reach the frontline quickly, according to the statement.
The latest data from DRC health authorities showed that the central African country had recorded 7,773 confirmed Ebola cases, including 3,759 deaths as of Monday, and the World Health Organization warned Wednesday that the outbreak remains uncontrolled despite signs of improvement in some affected areas. ■
