Ministers' 'big meet' on cholera epidemics

MBABANE – The ministers of Health and ministers of Water and Sanitation, as well as their senior technical experts from 12 African Union member States, attended a High-Level Emergency Ministerial meeting on Cholera Epidemics and Climate-Related Public Health Emergencies.

The meeting, which the Kingdom of Eswatini was part of, was held in Lilongwe, Malawi from March 9-10, 2023 and Eswatini was represented by Nhlanhla Nhlabatsi, from the Epidemiology and Disease Control Unit. as revealed by the Principal Secretary, (PS) Dr Simon Zwane.

The ministers agreed on joint collaborative measures to combat the spread of cholera and ensure country preparedness and readiness for climate change-related health emergencies.

Borders

Welcoming the delegates and officially opening the meeting, Vice President of Malawi, Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima, said that it was widely said that “Diseases and Public Health Emergencies know no borders.”

He said that their convergence in Lilongwe attested to the realisation that African countries could only triumph if they worked together as partners beyond their borders.

On the first day of the high-level ministerial meeting, the technical experts from the 12 countries met and shared their experiences and various response efforts implemented to mitigate and control the spread of cholera.

Additionally, key thematic areas discussed included strengthening cross-border collaborations, putting communities at the centre of preparedness and response plan, accelerating local manufacturing and access to cholera vaccines, and political commitments backed by adequate funding.

Collaboration

“This is the time to tighten our coordination, collaboration and communication; and renew the continental and global commitments in disease control and elimination, including cholera,” said Dr Merawi Aragaw, Africa CDC Emergency Preparedness and Response Head of Division.

The high-level meeting culminated with a communiqué where Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe endorsed key measures to tackle the cholera outbreak and climate-related health challenges.