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Regional Workshop on Preparedness and Response Against Cholera in Africa

Learn how African countries are joining forces to combat cholera at the Regional Workshop on Preparedness and Response. Discover the strategies being implemented and the role of key partners in tackling this dangerous disease.

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The Minister of Health of Niger served as the keynote speaker at the opening ceremony of the regional workshop to increase cholera preparation and response in Africa.

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The workshop opened In the presence of the RESIDENT Official of WHO-Niger, the spokesperson of the Director-General of WAHO, and many operational and financial partners in the fight against cholera. The Minister of Public Health, Population, and Social Affairs of Niger opened the regional workshop on preparedness and response against Cholera, on Monday, May 30th, 2022. The workshop was held in order to strengthen cholera preparedness and response in the region.

The regional workshop brings together representatives from four different nations to share their knowledge and expertise with one another. The countries of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger will each serve as hosts for the gathering.

Cholera is one of the most significant dangers to the general population's health in a number of the nations that are located on our continent. According to data that is accessible and has been made public by the World Health Organization (WHO), around ten Member States are impacted on average by cholera outbreaks each and every year in the WHO African Region.

In the two years after the year 2020, various nations in West Africa were struck by a significant epidemic, which resulted in a total of 129,806 cases and, sadly, 4,005 fatalities. 

This illness, which may be prevented, has been linked in Africa to socioeconomic inequality as well as various other variables of development. Inadequate circumstances of access to water, hygiene, and sanitation continue to be one of the primary causes of recurring cholera outbreaks on our continent.

Every day, our communities face the risk that is posed by cholera. This is a fact.  A Global Cholera Task Force (GCWG) was established in 2017 to address the challenge due to this and in 2018, it adopted the End Cholera Strategy: A Global Roadmap to 2030. This document provides recommendations for priority actions to reduce the number of deaths caused by cholera by 90 percent and eliminate disease transmission in 20 countries by the year 2030. In 2018, WHO the African Member States unanimously agreed to adopt the regional framework for the execution of the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Cholera, 2018–2030. Cholera might potentially be brought under control by the year 2030 with the help of this system.

During his speech at the event, Dr. Virgil Lokossou, who is the Representative of the West African Health Organization (WAHO), stated that: " "This workshop on regional cholera preparedness and response is a component of this larger framework. It is also the second stage of a series, the first stage of which was held in Lomé, TOGO. In the same vein, I am able to reconfirm that the World Health Organization will be even more dedicated to working with the Member States in the prevention and management of epidemics including cholera."

According to Dr. Blanche Anya, who serves as the WHO Resident Representative in Niger, the purpose of this training of trainers is to provide each nation with a team of trainers. Once they have returned to their respective countries, they will be required to teach the technical teams in each community that is at high risk for cholera. She cited "The Strengthening and Use of Emergency Response Groups Project" (SURGE), which aims to equip each elite country with emergency response and for which Niger is one of the 05 pilot countries in the African Region. This project was cited because Niger was one of the countries in the African Region.

Taking the floor, the Minister of Public Health addressed the epidemiological picture in Niger: a total of 5425 cases, including 166 fatalities, were recorded during the 2021 outbreak. The Minister then welcomed the efforts done by the government in the battle against cholera. Regarding the partners, Minister Dr. Idi Illiassou Mainassara will make the following statement: "I cannot end my remarks without reiterating my thanks to all the Technical and Financial Partners in the health sector, including WHO, WAHO, Doctors Without Borders, the International Federation of the Red Cross, and UNICEF as well as the partners' platform and the Global Working Group for the Fight against Cholera (GTFCC) for the organization of this workshop."

 The Minister of Health commended all of the players on the ground from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, and Niger and urged them to put more energy and self-sacrifice into their operations, the objective of which is to safeguard our communities.

Before moving on to the official opening of the work of the regional workshop, the Minister of Health called on the participants from the various countries to follow diligently the progress of the sessions whose themes integrate the proven technical approaches and innovations that are necessary for better management of cholera in Africa.

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