The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says it has consistently supported member states to develop robust responses to recurrent and emerging health threats.

Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa CDC, stated this in a statement to mark the institution’s seventh anniversary on Thursday.

The statement said the celebration also marked the second anniversary of its elevation into an autonomous African Union (AU) institution with the mandate to tackle various health-related issues across the continent.

The Africa CDC was established in response to the West Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014.

The outbreak resulted in over 28,000 confirmed and probable cases, which led to over 11,300 deaths.

This tragedy highlighted the need for better coordination in dealing with public health emergencies in Africa, hence the founding of Africa CDC in January 2016. Africa CDC was officially inaugurated in January 2017 as a specialised technical institution of the African Union.

In February 2022, Africa CDC was granted autonomy as the continental health agency of the AU.

This autonomy gives Africa CDC the flexibility to respond rapidly and effectively to emerging health threats, facilitating seamless resource mobilisation and collaboration with a broader range of partners.

Mr Kaseya said, “Africa CDC has expanded significantly, evolving from a team of just 11 staff members to now employing over 300 dedicated professionals. Initially, our collaborations were limited to a handful of partners, but we have now grown to engage with more than 200 institutions across various initiatives.

“Our financial resources have also seen remarkable growth, progressing from modest initial funding to successfully mobilising over $2.5 billion to date.

“We have transformed from being a specialised health agency into an autonomous health institution of the Union, overseen by a committee of heads of state and government.’’

Mr Kaseya added that the centre had assisted member states in addressing three significant international public health emergencies, including the Ebola outbreak, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the mpox crisis.

He said the centre also launched several key initiatives, including the Africa Medical Supplies Platform and the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Trust.

(NAN)