The World Health Organization (WHO), the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and the Ugandan government have announced the official launch of the Joint Continental Incident Management Support Team (IMST) to support continental health emergency capabilities amid the spreading Ebola disease.
The Africa CDC, in a statement issued over the weeked, said the newly launched IMST establishes a unified operational platform to strengthen Africa’s capacity to prepare for, coordinate, and respond to public health emergencies including the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola virus disease response.
Launched at Makerere University in Uganda’s capital Kampala on Saturday, the IMST will support Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and neighbouring at-risk countries through integrated technical assistance, operational coordination and multidisciplinary expertise, it was noted.
“The launch marks a significant milestone in strengthening Africa’s public health emergency architecture and reflects a shared commitment by Africa CDC, WHO, and African Union (AU) member states to build faster, more coordinated and country-led responses to increasingly complex public health threats,” the Africa CDC said.
The new platform reinforces regional preparedness and cross-border collaboration as essential pillars of Africa’s health security, the AU’s specialised continental public health agency added.
The agency highlighted that the IMST — guided by the principles of one team, one plan, and one budget — brings together specialists in surveillance, laboratory systems, case management, infection prevention and control, emergency logistics and operations, risk communication, information management, and partner coordination to strengthen outbreak response across the region.
Meanwhile, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have signed a cross-border Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly combat the current Ebola Bundibugyo strain outbreak, which has so far sickened 20 people in Uganda.
Out of the 20 confirmed cases registered in Uganda as of June 27, 15 are classified as imported cases from neighbouring DRC.
MG/as/APA