JOHANNESBURG, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) on Tuesday called on African countries to increase investment in public health, strengthen disease surveillance and accelerate local vaccine production to brace for future pandemics.
Frank Annoh-Dompreh, chairperson of the PAP Committee on Health, Labor and Social Affairs, made the remarks during a parliamentary debate in Johannesburg on Tuesday about the Ebola outbreak in Africa.
As of July 19, the latest Ebola outbreak had recorded 2,443 confirmed cases, according to Annoh-Dompreh. He said the latest outbreak recorded 969 deaths while 487 had recovered.
Annoh-Dompreh said African countries need to strengthen their preparedness for future health emergencies, stressing the importance of improving public health data governance and transforming health data systems to better respond to future pandemics.
"Members were informed that trusted data sharing, supported by clear legislative and regulatory frameworks, is essential for timely disease surveillance, early warning systems, outbreak detection and coordinated cross-border responses," he said.
He also underscored the need to strengthen integrated disease surveillance and laboratory systems to enable the rapid detection, confirmation and reporting of suspected cases, as well as faster isolation and clinical management of infections. Annoh-Dompreh urged countries to invest in infection prevention, occupational safety training, psychological support and adequate medical supplies.
Anthony Vance, a member of parliament from Uganda, urged African countries to enhance preparedness for future pandemics. He said Uganda's experience during the 2000 Ebola outbreak had strengthened its response capacity, noting that of the 20 confirmed cases in the latest outbreak, 18 patients recovered while two died.
Happymore Chidziva, a member of parliament from Zimbabwe, called for faster vaccine production, adding that African countries should demonstrate the political will needed to build more resilient health systems and improve preparedness for future pandemics. ■