Events

23 South African health workers to be deployed to treat Ebola in Sierra Leone under ASEOWA

Johannesburg, 12 February 2015: The African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA), in collaboration with the South African government, is sending 23 South African health workers to Ebola affected countries. The health workers, including 20 nurses, and three paramedics are expected to depart Johannesburg for Sierra Leone on Friday, 20 February 2015.

From 11th to 12th February, the health workers underwent 2 days of pre deployment training given by the African Union and Ministry of Health officials. On arrival in the affected countries, the health workers will undergo further intensive training for 2 weeks before embarking on their duties.

African Union Commissioner of Social Affairs, Dr Mustapha Sidiki Kaloko commended the South African government for sending health workers, saying that the 835 African medical personnel so far deployed by ASEOWA have impacted positively in reducing both new infections and deaths from Ebola.
“We are very proud that, together with the governments of AU member states, we are finding solutions to African challenges by Africans. By representing South Africa on the mission, you will also be representing the African Union and Africa in general. I am very sure that you will acquit yourselves very well and continue to make a positive impact.”

This deployment is the second for South Africa, following an independent deployment on January 23. The first group is stationed at the Goderich Emergency Ebola Treatment Centre on the outskirts of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Since their arrival, the South Africans have already seen six discharges and lost two patients. One 36 year old man was a typical patient. He arrived with a confirmed Ebola diagnosis. He began treatment and then “crashed” as often happens, but treatment was successful. He recovered and was released, walking out on his own. The youngest patient so far has been a four year old boy. He has been moved from the ICU and is now recovering.

The healthcare professionals stay in country for 6 months of service in AU supported treatment sites and when they return to South Africa they will undergo three weeks of observation before they can resume normal duties.

According to Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, “Whilst thankfully Ebola cases are decreasing, the South African effort implemented by Right to Care and supported by South African business and the African Union are able to address Ebola ‘fatigue’. South Africa’s involvement which began last year has been extensive and has included mobilising both a domestic response to prevent the entry of Ebola into South Africa as well as an external health and humanitarian assistance programme to support affected countries. The Department of Health mobilised cash and in-kind contributions amounting to almost R60 million. This has included setting up a NICD diagnostic laboratory which has tested more than 6000 specimens of those suspected of Ebola infection. The laboratory teams rotate every 5 weeks and are also training local personnel. We have also provided 16 000 protection suits and we have sent ambulances, scooters, drugs, generators, autoclaves for sterilisation and food.

Minister Motsoaledi concluded “South Africa can be very proud of our courageous health care workers and all those that have supported the Ebola response, as they assist fellow Africans to win the fight against Ebola.”

According to Prof Ian Sanne of Right to Care, “Team South Africa are on duty for long shifts each day; some of the time in full protective clothing and other times working in the lab or fulfilling other duties. They are learning to treat a highly infectious disease effectively. The knowledge they gain will be useful in knowing how to better treat other crisis outbreaks.”

African Union Director of Social Affairs, Dr Olawale Maiyegun summarised the ASEOWA intervention as follows: “the most important and effective intervention with significant impact is the decreasing cases. ASEOWA has made a huge difference. Before their intervention, Ebola was chasing us, thanks to ASEOWA, we are now chasing Ebola. It is just a matter of time, Ebola shall be defeated.”

As part of its obligations to the health workers, ASEOWA will provide the medical professionals with an allowance, full training, insurance and housing and will take care of them should they contract Ebola. FirstRand Bank (FNB) has committed to paying for transport, flights and transfers for this medical intervention.

There are four partners working on South Africa’s response to Ebola under the leadership of the Department of Health. They are Right to Care which has an MoU with the Ministry of Health in Sierra Leone, the Wits Health Consortium which is overseeing and managing funds from the private sector on behalf of the Department of Health and the NICD which has set up labs in Sierra Leone, is providing training and has a number of staff there.

The current deployment is being undertaken under the African Union’s Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA). The African Union will maintain the health workers on the ground till the countries are declared Ebola free. ENDS

For more information:
Wynne Musabayana
Deputy Head of Communication and Information
African Union Commission
E mail: MusabayanaW@africa-union.org

Joe Maila
Ministry of Health: Spokesperson
Mobile: 082 887 3581
Email: mailaj@health.gov.za or health.spokesperson@gmail.com
Twitter: @mjmaila@HealthZa

Michelle K Blumenau
Right to Care
T 011 728 5004 /083 273 9891
michelle@turquoisepr.co.za

Timeline of AU Response to the Ebola Outbreak

17 April 2014 1st African Ministers of Health Meeting in Luanda, Angola issues communique
July 30 PRC agrees to hold special sessions on Ebola. This paved the way got the meeting of the Executive Council
August 2014 $1, 000 000 is released from AU’s Special Emergency Assistance Fund for Drought and Famine in Africa
8 August WHO declares Ebola a public health emergency of international concern.
18th August Information sharing session held between the AUC and the PRC and partners
19 August Peace and Security Council meets- authorizes immediate deployment of AU-led Military and Civilian Humanitarian Mission
20 August ASEOWA is formed
25 Aug-5 Sept AU team carries out evaluation/ assessment mission to three Ebola affected countries, and Senegal
5 September AUC staff members donate $100,000
8 September Emergency session of the Executive Council on Ebola held to adopt a common position and define appropriate strategies to enable Africa to effectively combat the Ebola epidemic
15 September ASEOWA head of mission arrives in Liberia
18 September UN Security Council declares Ebola a threat to international peace and security
19 September First ASEOWA team of 19 arrives Liberia
24 September Chairperson addresses special session on Ebola at the UN General Assembly
28 September- 14 October DSA Commissioner visits Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone
19 September UN General Assemby approves resolutions creating the UN mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER)
23-25 October AUC Chairperson visits affected countries
2 October ASEOWA team of 27deployed to Liberia and Sierra Leone
31 October ASEOWA volunteers deployed to eight counties in Monrovia to start work
8 November African Business Roundtable on Ebola held and raises an initial USD31 million from the private sector and AfDB
9 November 3rd ASEOWA batch of 38 deployed mostly to Guinea
3 December 196 ASEOWA health workers deployed to affected countries from Nigeria
3 December SMS campaign and AfricaAgainstEbola website launched in Nigeria
16 December 187 Ethiopian health workers are deployed
26 December 82 health workers from the Democratic Republic of Congo are deployed
9 January 170 Kenyans leave Nairobi to join the ASEOWA team in the Ebola affected countries

Press Release Nº11/24th AU SUMMIT

AU to launch Foundation, and introduce Ebola Solidarity Fund

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 27 January 2015: The African Union (AU) will officially launch its foundation, the African Union Foundation on Friday, 30 January 2015 during the 24th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

The AU Foundation is being launched a year and half following a decision taken by the Heads of State in May 2013 to enable voluntary contributions towards the financing of priority areas of the African Union.

The launch will be taking place in the form of a roundtable discussion, attended by Heads of States and Foundation council members, who will be officially introduced.

Ahead of the launch, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission H.E. Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said, “it is time for Africa to mobilize its own resources in support of its development and take charge of its own destiny.”

The mission of the AU Foundation is to “mobilize resources in support of the African Union’s vision of an integrated, people-centered and prosperous Africa, at peace with itself and taking its rightful place in the world.” To accomplish this mission, the Foundation will focus on five key programme areas in its first five years:

1) Skills and human resource development,
2) Women’s empowerment and gender equality,
3) Regional integration,
4) Youth development and entrepreneurship, and
5) Advocacy and support for the African Union.

The Foundation will strive to engage Africa’s private sector, African citizens, communities, and leading African philanthropists to generate resources and provide valuable insight on ways in which their success can accelerate Africa’s development. The issue of domestic and alternative sources of funding has been an intrinsic element of the continent’s commitments of the Pan African values of self-determination, solidarity and self-reliance.

Alongside the launch of the AU Foundation, the Africa Against Ebola Solidarity Fund will be introduced after its inception at the AU-Private Sector Business Roundtable held on 8 November 2014.

For further information contact

Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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Press Release Nº005/2015

AFRICAN UNION AND KENYA SENDING 170 HEALTH WORKERS TO EBOLA AFFECTED COUNTRIES

Nairobi, Kenya 8 January 2015- The general consensus among African leaders who addressed the official opening of the pre deployment training of 170 Kenyan health workers today, is that through solidarity, the continent will defeat the Ebola virus disease, that has so far claimed thousands of lives, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The Kenyan contingent will be departing for the affected countries tomorrow, 9th January 2015.

The pre deployment and training workshop, held in the Kenyan capital cautiously welcomed the signs of decline in the rate of new infections in Liberia and expressed concern over the situation in Sierra Leone, which is now the most heavily affected. Calls were made for concerted efforts to rebuild health systems in Africa so that countries can cope with similar outbreaks in future. There was also a call to avoid complacency in the recovery period, which could see the infection rates going up again.

Speakers at the ceremony included Amb. Amina Mohamed, Kenyan Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Mr. James Macharia, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Health; Amb Olawale Maiyegun, Director Social Affairs, African Union Commission; Dr De Kock of the American Center for Diseases Control and Prevention, and Dr. Khadijah Kassachoon, Principal Secretary in the Kenyan Ministry of Health.

The current Ebola virus disease outbreak, which first manifest in December 2013, is still killing people particularly in the three worst affected countries. The danger posed by the disease prompted the African Union to intervene by sending skilled human resources to treat victims as well as to carry out other associated tasks such as contact tracing, burials, decontamination, surveillance, social mobilization, community health education and psycho social support. 86 Africans joined the effort as individual volunteers between September and October 2014. They were followed by 197 Nigerians, 187 Ethiopians and 82 Congolese (DRC) in December. The 170 Kenyans now under training will greatly add momentum to an African Union and international effort that is starting to show positive result. Another 115 health experts from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have joined the African Union Support to Ebola Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA).

“We took the fight against Ebola to the frontline because we needed to fight it where it is. New infections are flattening out and we should soon start seeing a significant decline. We very much appreciate the solidarity shown by Africa in this fight” said Dr Maiyegun of the African Union’s Department of Social Affairs, who spoke on behalf of the Commission’s Chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and its Deputy Chairperson Mr. Erastus Mwencha.

“The crisis happened in countries that were coming out of conflict and their health systems could not cope. Kenya pledged $1million to the fight against Ebola. Today we are sending 170 Kenyans to the Ebola frontline. As Africa, we are always stronger when we work together”, said Ambassador Amina Mohammed.

Dr James Macharia called the health workers heroes and offered further information on the severity of the current outbreak. “This outbreak has surpassed all other previous outbreaks put together 8 times over. The African Union has shown serious commitment and we appreciate this”, he told the health workers.

Tomorrow, 9th January, the Kenyan health workers will depart Nairobi for the affected countries after a short farewell session with national president Mr Uhuru Kenyatta. The African Union Commission’s Deputy Chairperson Mr. Erastus Mwencha will be present to witness the event as well as to sign the memorandum of understanding between the Kenyan government and the African Union.

You can support the African Union Support mission to Ebola to Outbreak in West Africa (ASEOWA) on www.AfricaAgainstEbola.org or donate through sms on the short codes available in participating countries. Tweet and retweet: #AUonEbola. More information on ASEOWA is available on http://aseowa.au.int.

For more information on the AU response to the Ebola crisis and interview requests contact:
Wynne Musabayana | Deputy Head of Division | Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission | Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00 | Fax: (251) 11 551 78 44 | E-mail: MusabayanaW@africa-union.org | Web: www.au.int|Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

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PRESS RELEASE

African Union health workers and the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Health and Sanitation Discharge 35 Ebola Survivors

Bombali, Sierra Leone, 20 December 2014: The African Union (AU) together with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone discharged 35 Ebola survivors from the Magbenteh Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) on 20th December. In a well-attended event that featured traditional leaders, District health leads, the Paramount Chief, the District Mayor and survivors’ family members, survivors were applauded for their bravery at beating the deadly disease. Speakers at the event gave credit to the AU for its brilliant performance in the coordination of the ETU, contributing to the number of Ebola survivors from the Bombali District.
The survivor discharge was the second of its kind from the Magbenteh ETU that was commissioned on the 16th of November 2014 and admitted its first of Ebola patients on the 24th of November 2014. On the 11th of November, the ETU discharged 24 patients adding up to a total of 64 survivors till date.
As part of the of the psychosocial support from the Ministry of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs (MSWGCA), survivors were presented survivor’s packages and counseled to be ambassadors in their various communities and help in the campaign that Ebola is treatable if cases are reported early enough and people desist from keeping sick persons at home.
The Magbenteh ETU has contributed to the reduction of Ebola death rate in the Bombali District and also increased the confidence of the community in getting treatment. As of 22nd of December 2014, Sierra Leone has recorded a total of 1326 Ebola survivors according to the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
For Further Information Contact: Wynne Musabayana | Deputy Head of Division | Information and Communication Division | African Union Commission | Tel: (251) 11 551 77 00 | Fax: (251) 11 551 78 44 | E-mail: MusabayanaW@africa-union.org | Web: www.au.int|Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

Temitope Famuyide, Humanitarian Affairs Officer
ASEOWA, Bombali, Sierra Leone
tpfamuyide@gmail.com +232 76796445