The African Centres for Disease Control (African CDC) is set to launch in 2015 according to a press release by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The U.S. and the African Union Commission have joined forces to create the new program.
The Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) was signed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, M.B. Ch.B., chairperson of the African Union Commission today.
The African CDC will be equipped with a Surveillance and Response Unit which will provide technical expertise and response coordination in cases of emergencies. The African CDC will also create five Regional Collaborating Centers within five African Unions regions. These centers will have field epidemiologists for disease surveillance, investigations, analysis, reporting trends and anomalies.
In the memorandum, the U.S. agrees to provide technical expertise for the new Surveillance and Response Unit. The U.S. will advise in planning for future expansion. The U.S. will also provide two public health experts that will co-locate at the African Union as advisors in addition to 10 fellowships for epidemiologists.
“The West African Ebola epidemic reaffirmed the need for a public health institute to support African ministries of health and other health agencies in their efforts to prevent, detect and respond to any disease outbreak,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. in the press release. “This memorandum solidifies the commitment by the United States to advance public health across Africa and global health security.”
Watch John Kerry pledge U.S. support for African CDC.
