‘Africa on its own’: Little help in epidemics, says official

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA
Associated Press

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Africa must plan to respond effectively to disease outbreaks without outside help, a top public health official said Wednesday, warning that the continent of 1.3 billion people is “on its own” during pandemics. Ahmed Ogwell, acting head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said that as assistance often never materializes, African nations must plug gaps to respond to outbreaks as such as Ebola in Uganda. Ogwell spoke in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, where African public health officials and others are meeting to plan cross-border cooperation in responding to Ebola. Uganda declared an outbreak of Ebola on Sept. 20.