Monrovia – A four-day conference of military and civilian medical experts from United States Air Forces Africa, U.S. government agencies and 21 African partner nations, under the banner the African Partner Outbreak Response Alliance (APORA) has got underway at Farmington Hotel, outside the Liberian capital, Monrovia.
Report by Gerald C. Koinyeneh 0023188088150 /00231777769531 [email protected]
Speaking to reporters at the opening of the event, US Ambassador to Liberia, Christine Elder said the events brings together military and civilian health personnel from 21 partner nations to discuss ways of working together to improve international mobility and response to fight infectious diseases.
Ambassador Elder noted that following the Ebola outbreak in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, it was prudent to join forces aimed at not only mitigating future outbreaks, but to also prevent them.
“The purpose of this meeting is to discuss how the military and civilians from each of these countries can work together on improving international mobility and response to fight infectious disease. This is something we’ve learned the hard way here in Liberia,” she said.
“When must learn from that – whether it is a coordination of logistics, deployment and sharing of responsibilities and expertise. When we go across 21 nations and multiply what we have learned, then we can get ahead of the next outbreak, and we can prevent it rather than only mitigate the impact.”
Also speaking, Liberia’s Defense Minister, Major General Daniel Ziahnkan stated that Liberia will share its experience in the fight against Ebola and draw up proactive measures in preventing and combating future disease outbreak, nothing, “We don’t want to be reactive, we want to be proactive.”
Maj. Gen, Ziahnkan noted that the hosting of the APORA meeting signifies the tremendous effort Liberia has made during the post Ebola period and lauded the U.S. Government for the support.
Col. Krystal Murphy, Deputy Command Surgeon of the United States Africa Command praised Liberia for the progress made so far following the outbreak and indicated that infectious diseases are global threats that require collective efforts in tackling them, adding, “Disease doesn’t distinguish between those in uniforms and those who are not.
The African Partner Outbreak Response Alliance (APORA) was created as a response to the Ebola Crisis, which killed over 11,000 people in Africa from 2014-2016.
APORA provides a means for African partners to discuss measures to mitigate, detect, and effectively fight future pandemics on the African continent.