The Economic Community of West African States Commission has warned Nigeria and other West African countries on the dangers of letting the COVID-19 pandemic overshadow other existing public health challenges.
The commission’s President, Jean-Claude Brou, said this while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Sunday.
According to Brou, the fight against endemic diseases in the region has remained a burning issue which should be addressed.
He said, “The holding of the Assembly of Health Ministers is of vital importance. It provides you with an ideal forum to discuss institutional issues related to its operations and take stock of the programmatic achievements as well as the budgetary execution for the period under review.
“In this respect, we must absolutely bear in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic, which certainly mobilises us strongly, must not overshadow all the other public health challenges facing our region.
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“In addition to the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic due to the appearance of the Delta variant of the virus, which some countries are experiencing, there have been cases of Ebola haemorrhagic disease and Marburg virus disease in some other countries.
“The fight against endemic diseases and epidemics therefore remains a burning issue within ECOWAS. However, we must redouble our efforts to improve other health indicators in the region, particularly in the areas of maternal and child health, the fight against communicable and non-communicable diseases as well as neglected tropical diseases, and universal health coverage, to mention but a few.
Public health challenges in our region are colossal and the expectations of our populations very high. It is all together, by showing commitment, innovation, determination and solidarity that we will succeed in meeting them.”
Also speaking at the event, the chairman of the Assembly of Health Ministers of the ECOWAS, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, said the region would continue to work towards the development of vaccine to enhance routine immunisation.
He said, “We are working to ensure vaccine plants in Africa actually get to produce vaccines too. Some countries have been identified by WAHO already.
“Nigeria, Senegal and Ghana are some of the countries that are leading with vaccine manufacturing, not only malaria, but other vaccines as well.”
