LUSAKA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- A high-level meeting of experts from African countries opened Monday, with participants discussing the need for the establishment of mortality surveillance programs.
The four-day meeting was expected to review and finalize a draft framework for mortality surveillance as well as launch the continental framework in this regard.
Zambia's Health Minister Sylvia Masebo said at the start of the meeting that the framework will help member states of the African Union (AU) in the planning and implementation of their mortality surveillance programs, especially in view of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It will help to fast track the availability of good quality and timely mortality data for public health decision-making as well as strengthen death registration across Africa," she said, noting the meeting has provided an opportunity for member states to exchange ideas and experiences to adopt new strategies to address mortality surveillance data needs as well as prepare for better future health security.
Lul Riek, the regional director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said it was important for African countries to unite and support each other in addressing health security issues instead of depending on outsiders.
He said it was vital to ensure that every death on the continent was recorded and that the dead deserves to be known and remembered.
He said the Africa CDC developed the continental framework to guide member states in the planning and implementation of their mortality surveillance programs in order to fast-track the availability of quality and timely mortality data for public health decisions. ■