KIGALI, (Xinhua) — Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), expressed frustration on Wednesday over Africa’s dependence on external support for medical supplies during disease outbreaks.
Speaking at the African Continental Free Trade Area Business Forum held in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, Kaseya emphasized the need for Africa to produce its own vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics.
“We are tired. Every time there is an outbreak, we go into panic mode, and we have to start begging the world for vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics. It was the case with mpox, it was the case before with COVID-19, and it is still the case with Marburg,” Kaseya said, calling for decisive action to manufacture medical countermeasures within the continent.
His remarks came amid the ongoing Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak in Rwanda, where 58 confirmed cases, including 13 deaths, have been reported, according to the latest data released by the Rwandan Ministry of Health on Tuesday.
Despite Rwanda’s robust response to the outbreak, Kaseya criticized the recent travel advisory issued by the United States, which urges its citizens to reconsider travel to Rwanda due to the virus.
“The Level 3 status issued by the United States regarding the Marburg outbreak in Rwanda is unfair and unacceptable, especially for a country that is doing more than any of us. This decision is not evidence-based. I am impressed by Rwanda’s efforts in containing the Marburg outbreak. There is nothing more that can be done that Rwanda is not already doing,” he said.
Kaseya praised Rwanda’s management of the Marburg outbreak, saying, “Rwanda is making us proud as Africans. Rwanda is a model for all of us on how to manage these kinds of outbreaks.”
MVD is a highly virulent disease that causes hemorrhagic fever, with a fatality rate of up to 88 percent. It belongs to the same family of viruses that causes Ebola virus disease, according to the World Health Organization. MVD symptoms include high fever, severe headaches, and malaise, typically developing within seven days of infection.
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