ECOWAS ministerial committee wants cross-border surveillance to curb pandemics

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) COVID-19 Ministerial Coordinating Committee(MCC) on health has called on member states to strengthen surveillance and cross-border collaboration to ensure strong resistance against epidemics and pandemics in West Africa.

The call was part of the resolutions of the health ministers in the region at the seventh meeting of the ECOWAS COVID-19 Ministerial Coordinating Committee (MCC) on Health, held virtually in August 2021.

The MCC, which was set up at the Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government on 23 April 2020, is charged with regional preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The seventh meeting was necessitated by the third wave of the pandemic and recent outbreaks of Ebola and Marburg virus diseases in the region.

Opening the meeting, Dr Osagie Ehanire, Honourable Minister of Health of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chair of the MCC acknowledged the tireless efforts of member states in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic and praised the efforts of health workers in the region in managing the pandemic.

Ehanire stressed that every member state must continue to put in place response measures to reduce the transmission of the coronavirus significantly whilst gradually lifting travel restrictions.

“These measures include increasing testing, and investments in infection control and prevention; and continuing to reinforce risk communication strategies that are necessary for public engagement in this fight.”

Ehanire further said the ongoing implementation of the harmonized guidelines for cross-border travel and trade in the ECOWAS Region is an essential step to reopen economies and reduce the economic impact of the lockdowns and non-pharmaceutical measures necessary to contain the spread of the pandemic.

Co-chaired by Prof Stanley OKOLO, Director General of West Africa Health Organization (WAHO), Prof Stanley Okolo the meeting had in attendance Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Tshidi Moeti, Regional Director WHO-Afro (represented by Incident Manager, Dr Ann Fortrin) and other key stakeholders.

Also speaking at the meeting, the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Jean Claude Kassi Brou commended the increased efforts by various member states towards improving health security in the region.

He enjoined the committee to explore ways to reopen the land borders within the region quickly but safely, to minimize illegitimate crossing and the attendant risk of spreading the disease.

In his address, Minister of Health of Ghana and Chair of the ECOWAS Assembly of Health Ministers, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu who was represented by Tina Giffy Naa Ayeley Mensah, expressed satisfaction that the rollout of vaccines in the region is being pursued in earnest regardless of vaccine hesitancy and shortages.

“In the presentations that followed, the Ministers were informed that the ECOWAS region recorded a total of 573,182 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 7,693 deaths (1.3%) and 516,436 (90.1%) recoveries, as of 18 August 2021, with 8.6% of the total confirmed cases still active. Nine member states (Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo) are going through a third wave of the pandemic.

“The Ministers were informed that as of 16 August 2021, the region had received a total of 20.5 million vaccines of various types of which 56 % had been administered.”

“The declaration of the end of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Guinea on 29 June 2021 was discussed”. Ministers however received a report from the Hon. Minister of Health of Cote d’Ivoire on an imported case of EVD from Guinea which was diagnosed in Abidjan on 12 August 2021.”

He further reported that investigations and vaccinations are ongoing with the support of partners including WHO, UNICEF and WAHO.

The Ministers were also informed by the Hon Minister of Health of Guinea of the first case in the region of Marburg Virus Disease (MVD), a hemorrhagic fever, in Guinea.

He stated that comprehensive contact tracing and risk communication were ongoing but no further case has been diagnosed.

In a communique issued at the end of the meeting, the ministers agreed that all possible logistic, technical and financial support should be provided to the member states undergoing the third wave of the COVID-19, and those that have reported cases of EVD and MVD,

“The region should institute mechanisms including strengthened surveillance and cross-border collaboration to detect any potential public health emergencies, member States should accelerate compliance with the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State’s directives regarding harmonized travel guidelines including testing on arrival and capping of travel-related COVID-19 PCR test fee for ECOWAS citizens.”

“Take-off of the digitized platform for verification of COVID-19 tests across the region should be accelerated, Member States should support ongoing regional efforts to open selected land borders in the region including the identification of suitable sites at the border posts where infrastructure for enhanced surveillance may be erected.”

“Member States should intensify the vaccination campaign against the COVID-19 Member States should support regional efforts at improving access to vaccines including the Vaccine Revolving Fund and the local production of vaccines.”

The meeting ended with the Ministers commending the Republic of Guinea and the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire for their vigilance, which enabled the rapid detection and response to the new case of MVD and EVD respectively.

They also expressed their immense gratitude to the ECOWAS COVID-19 Champion, His Excellency President Muhammadu Buhari of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for his strong support to the regional pandemic response effort and for providing logistics support to the West Africa Health Organization.

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