Addis Ababa, 15 August 2014 (ECA) - Following its outbreak in Guinea in December 2013, the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is the latest public health epidemic in Africa. Current reports show that the disease has spread quite rapidly to about 4 countries: Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and recently, Nigeria. With the death toll from the virus rising to almost one thousand Africans, the rest of the nations across West Africa as well as other parts of the continent have remained on high alert through this epidemic. The latest data as of the 4th of August 2014 shows that West Africa is currently experiencing the largest EVD outbreak ever recorded.
In light of this immense and growing threat, the Department for Social Affairs of the African Union Commission (AUC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are convening an Information Sharing and Working Session on the Ebola Outbreak. The purpose of this session is to deliver information on the ongoing response to Ebola outbreak crisis affecting the region of West Africa; provide updates from health experts and share existing instruments and mechanisms to enhance preparedness and response to this and other health related emergencies in Africa.
The session is scheduled to be held at the African Union Commission - New Conference Center, Small Conference Room 1 - on 18 August 2014 at 9.30 am. It will bring together Representatives of the AU Member States; Permanent Representatives of Member States of the AU and the Mano River Union (MRU); Permanent Representatives of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to the AU; United Nation Liaison Team (UNLT); AU Partners Group (AUPG); and Members of the “Emergency Preparedness and Response” sub-cluster of the Regional Coordination Mechanism for Africa (RCM-Africa).
Issued by:
ECA External Communications and Media Relations Section
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: ecainfo@uneca.org
www.uneca.org