ADDIS ABABA, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has acknowledged Kenya's "decisive leadership" as part of the country's ongoing efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak.
The Africa CDC, in a statement issued Tuesday, praised the Kenyan government "for its strong political leadership, rapid mobilization and effective containment measures, highlighting the importance of early detection, timely interventions, robust surveillance and coordinated national action in limiting transmission and protecting lives."
The African Union's specialized continental public health agency stressed that the East African country's response underscores the critical role of national ownership and leadership in addressing public health emergencies.
The statement followed Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya's meeting with Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Health Aden Duale in the country's capital, Nairobi, on Tuesday. After briefed by Duale on Kenya's ongoing response measures against the deadly virus, Kaseya reiterated that the agency "stands firmly" alongside Kenya, in line with shared commitments to preventing further spread of the disease.
The Africa CDC has mobilized approximately 1.5 million U.S. dollars in financial, technical and operational support to reinforce Kenya's response efforts. This includes the deployment of 10 public health experts, the provision of laboratory reagents and diagnostic test kits, and support for surveillance, contact tracing, case management and community engagement, it was noted.
The agency also highlighted the provision of state-of-the-art equipment valued at approximately 350,000 dollars to strengthen Kenya's Public Health Emergency Operations Center and its capacity to coordinate public health emergencies.
"Kenya can count on Africa CDC's continued support as it works to bring the outbreak under control," said Kaseya.
Emphasizing that no country can confront a public health emergency alone, Kaseya and Duale stressed that strong national responses -- backed by continental solidarity, timely resource mobilization, and coordinated action -- remain essential to protecting Africa's collective health security, according to the statement.
Kenya confirmed its first imported case of Ebola on Oct. 6 and immediately implemented measures to curb further transmission. The East African country has so far recorded a total of nine confirmed cases, including two deaths. ■