By Wisdom Mumera.
Harare, Zimbabwe. (News Of The South) – Africa’s vulnerability in cases of emerging viral infections such as Zika, Lassa and Ebola has been diagnosed as being higher and requires the development of early warning systems to prevent infections of epidemic proportions.
In a notice for the forthcoming Third Symposium to be held in Accra Ghana, the Society for AIDS in Africa said this will be one of the focus areas during the symposium.
The event will be held from the 4th to the 5th of August.
“This African Regional symposium is intended to enhance awareness, attention and commitment to preempt the spread of emerging viral infections in Africa”.
“In the context where the health system seems very weak in the continent, the symposium will draw together experts, policy makers, grass roots organisations and various stakeholders to discuss the
issues comprehensively and strategically, to foster responses at both national and regional levels”, it said.
The symposium’s Scientific Committee, which comprises of health experts, scientists and government agencies met last week to deliberate on some of the issues to be discussed at the conference.
The symposium has proposed a theme, “Africa’s Preparedness for emerging viral infections: Lessons from HIV/Ebola and the Outlook for Zika and Lassa.
The theme was arrived at the Scientific Committee meeting after an extended deliberation to highlight the need for Africa to use the lessons learnt from HIV and Ebola prevention model to plan and control emerging viral epidemics of Zika and Lassa.
The Society said its goal at the conference would be to position Africa for effective preparedness and response to emerging viral diseases.
“In line with this goal, the symposium will focus on issues that are significant to our response such as prevention, diagnosis, surveillance and control, treatment and the lessons from affected countries.”
These include Latin America, Cape Verde for Zika, Sierra Leone, Benin, Burkina Faso and Nigeria for Lassa and Nigeria, Liberia for Ebola”, it said.
The Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA), the custodian of ICASA was founded in 1989 at the fourth International Symposium on AIDS and Associated Cancers in Africa (now ICASA) held in Marseille, France by a group of African scientists, activists and advocates in response to this epidemic.
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