Day: August 25, 2021

Addis Ababa, 25 August 2021 – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) today launched a new collaboration to strengthen community resilience and response to public health emergencies at community level. The two institutions have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to ramp up pandemic response—including testing support to countries; community mobilization; advocacy and scaling up of contact tracing. In addition to COVID-19, the collaboration includes other areas of public health.

Africa CDC and IFRC will strengthen investments in locally-led action—for prevention and response purposes—while working with governments to ensure they intensify efforts to roll out the COVID-19 vaccination. Additionally, Africa CDC and IFRC will scale up advocacy against vaccine wastage.

This new initiative comes at a time Africa continues to face major vaccine shortages, amid a high level of community transmission in countries such as Botswana, Burundi, Eswatini, Cabo Verde, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

John Nkengasong, Africa CDC Director, said: “Africa is facing a double-edged challenge of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, dealing with health response gaps, and also trying to ensure that the continent prepares efficiently for future pandemics, using lessons from current challenges”.

Africa CDC has been implementing various public health responses to control COVID-19. These include the engagement of community health workers in risk communication and community sensitization; surveillance activities for early case identification; contact tracing and in facilitating referrals for testing and continuum of care.

Jagan Chapagain, IFRC Secretary General, said: “What the IFRC and its network of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies bring to this partnership with Africa CDC is our unparalleled access to local communities. Our community-based volunteers have the access and trust that are needed to address vaccine hesitancy and sensitize communities about adherence to preventive measures”.

The Africa CDC has been working to support African Union Member States to build a wide network of 2 million community health workers (CHWs) in line with the July 2017 African Union Assembly Decision. The collaboration with the IFRC network, which includes 1.2 million Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers across the continent is expected to strengthen community level interventions and consolidate gains in tackling the spread of the virus, while increasing awareness about vaccine benefits.

National Red Cross Red and Crescent Societies across Africa remain on the frontline of the response to COVID-19. They are providing ambulance services; conducting contact tracing and point of entry screening. They are also tackling stigma and the spread of misinformation and provide emotional comfort and psychological support to people in need.

Source: Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention

REMNANT SWARMS IN N SOMALIA

OVERVIEW. A few small immature swarms remain on the plateau in northwest Somalia while several more immature swarms were seen recently in the northeast as a result of arrivals from northwest Somalia and undetected local breeding. Aerial control operations are underway in both areas. Hatching and the formation of small hopper bands are almost certainly underway in northeast Ethiopia, but this could not be confirmed as the area cannot be accessed due to security concerns. In Yemen, a few hopper bands have formed on the southern coast and small-scale breeding is underway in the interior. Elsewhere, the situation remains calm, and no significant developments are likely.

WHY IT MATTERS. It was anticipated that there was a good possibility to bring the current upsurge to an end with an effective control campaign this summer in northeast Ethiopia. However, ground and aerial teams are unable to access the breeding locations in the Afar region to conduct survey and control operations due to insecurity. Consequently, locusts will continue to increase unabated in that region and new immature swarms are likely to start forming in the last days of September and continue into October. As vegetation dries out in Afar, some of the swarms are likely to migrate north towards the winter breeding areas along the coast in Eritrea while others will move east to the eastern Somali region in Ethiopia and adjacent areas of northern Somalia. The extent of subsequent breeding in both areas is difficult to predict because it depends on the scale of summer breeding in northeast Ethiopia, which is not likely to be well known, and rains that fall during the last quarter of this year. Contingency preparations will need to be taken to address these uncertainties.

CONTEXT. Continued insecurity could prolong the current upsurge in the Horn of Africa.

• SOMALIA. Limited aerial control operations continue against a few remnant immature swarms on the plateau and coast in the northwest (Somaliland); a few more swarms were sighted in the northeast (Puntland) likely from earlier undetected local breeding and arriving from the northwest.

• ETHIOPIA. Hatching and hopper band formation likely to be underway in Afar but cannot be confirmed or addressed due to insecurity and no access; no locusts in Somali region.

• YEMEN. Limited hopper bands on southern coast; small-scale breeding in the interior.

• SUDAN. Scattered adults in the interior where small-scale breeding likely to be underway.

• SAUDI ARABIA. No locusts in the southwest; no invasions are expected.

• W AFRICA. Scattered adults in Chad and small-scale breeding likely to be in progress.

• SW ASIA. No locusts seen during recent surveys in Iran, Pakistan, and India.

TAKEAWAY. Current field operations in northern Somalia should be maintained while upscaling of surveys is needed in northeast Ethiopia and Djibouti.

• Central Region (SERIOUS) – increase operations in Djibouti and, if possible, northeast Ethiopia

• Eastern Region (CALM) – continue summer surveys (Indo-Pakistan)

• Western Region (CALM) – continue summer surveys (northern Sahel)

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations