African Union Commission Congratulates Liberia on its Ebola-Free Victory

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May 09, 2015

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Saturday, 09 May 2015: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, congratulates Liberia on being certified, by the World Health Organisation this week, as Ebola-free. This is a victory for the people’s and Government of Liberia, and a victory of all Africans and the international community, who rallied in solidarity to support them in this fight.

“Although we may see a great improvement in combatting the pandemic, the global community, however, must understand that the fight against Ebola is not yet over. As such, strengthening healthcare systems and surveillance systems should continuously remain at the core of responding to the disease until the African continent is free of Ebola”.

“It gives us, as Africans, great pleasure to see Liberia Ebola free. This is testament to the notion that if we stand together as a continent, we can achieve great things for Africa and in this case, defeating the Ebola virus in one of the most affected countries in West Africa. Today is a particularly significant day for the African Union which, through its African Union Mission to the Ebola Outbreak In West Africa (ASEOWA) sent 300 qualified African health workers to treat and care for Ebola victims in Liberia alone. In total, ASEOWA contributed over 800 health workers to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. ASEOWA also played a big part in rebuilding the health systems of the affected countries. As a sign of the improvements on the ground, we have now started drawing down our health workers.” expressed Dr. Dlamini-Zuma.

Dr Dlamini Zuma congratulated Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the government and the people of Liberia for overcoming the Ebola epidemic in their country. She also expressed her gratitude to African leaders who rallied to the call made by the AU Commission for health workers.

The AUC Chairperson thanked partners from all parts of the world who have been and continue to be instrumental in helping the affected countries get to zero. She highlighted the role played by the African private sector which showed its solidarity with the affected countries by donating funds and embarking on other fund raising projects for the ASEOWA mission.

“The African Union will remain seized with the eradication of Ebola and all other contagious diseases, and in this respect, we are looking at establishing the African center for Disease Control. While Liberia’s victory indicates that West Africa is near defeating the deadly disease, we must not cease to see the complete eradication through. It is now up to all of us as Africans, with the enduring support of our friends from international communities, to collectively fight aggressively to curb the spread of Ebola and restore the dignity of those affected,” concluded Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Official commemorations are planned for Monrovia on the 9th to mark the end of Ebola. Due to its contribution in the Ebola fight, ASEOWA teams have been given special invitations to attend the event. A statement from the African Union Commission Chairperson will be read by the ASEOWA mission head Dr Julius Oketta.

“To commemorate this milestone victory over Ebola, we intend to bring together local and international stakeholders to reflect on this difficult chapter in our nation’s history and show appreciation to all stakeholders, especially ASEOWA, who contributed enormously to the fight against Ebola”, read part of the letter of invitation sent to the African Union by Mr Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, Liberia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

ENDS.
About #AfricaAgainstEbola:
The #AfricaAgainstEbola campaign is coordinated by the Africa Against Ebola Solidarity Trust, a registered charity, in partnership with the African Union. All donations made to the Africa Against Ebola Solidarity Trust will be used to train, equip and deploy African health workers in the fight against Ebola and to build long term local health capacity. In partnership with the African Union, our mission is to mobilize resources to send much-needed health workers – drawn from within Africa – to the Ebola-afflicted countries. Under the operational coordination of the African Union Support to West Africa (ASEOWA), trained doctors and nurses will care for those infected, help contain the disease and strengthen local hospitals and care centers. Our vision is a resilient Africa that is able to respond effectively and rapidly in times of crisis.
Resource Mobilisation
The African Union recently introduced a campaign, #AfricaAgainstEbola, to mobilise citizens in the fight against the disease. SMS “Stop Ebola” to 7979 or visit the campaign’s official website, http://www.africaagainstebola.org/ to donate $1 or for more information.