African countries have stepped up cooperation to strengthen preparedness for health emergencies, with regional health leaders signing a cross-border collaboration agreement and launching a mechanism to improve access to mpox vaccines.
Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Public Health and Professional Standards Mary Muthoni represented the country at the high-level meeting held on the sidelines of the 76th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Addis Ababa.
The meeting, led by WHO Regional Director for Africa Prof. Mohamed Janabi, brought together health officials, regional institutions and development partners to strengthen coordinated preparedness and response to health threats across the continent.
The signing of the Cross-Border Collaboration Memorandum of Understanding and launch of the Mpox Vaccine Stockpile Mechanism are intended to improve how African countries prepare for and respond to outbreaks that can spread rapidly across national borders.
Focus on coordinated response
Muthoni reaffirmed Kenya’s commitment to working with other African countries to prevent, detect and respond to cross-border health threats.
She stressed the importance of regional cooperation, noting that health emergencies do not respect national boundaries and therefore require countries to work together before and during outbreaks.
The cross-border collaboration initiative is expected to strengthen information sharing among countries and improve coordination between national and regional health authorities.
It will also support efforts to harmonise emergency response protocols, helping countries coordinate surveillance, preparedness and response measures when outbreaks threaten communities across borders.
Mpox vaccine access
The launch of the Mpox Vaccine Stockpile Mechanism is aimed at strengthening access to vaccines during outbreaks and ensuring that essential medical countermeasures can be deployed more quickly where they are most needed.
African countries have faced challenges in securing timely and equitable access to vaccines and other critical health products during major outbreaks, highlighting the importance of regional mechanisms that can support faster deployment.
The stockpile mechanism is expected to contribute to a more coordinated approach to vaccine preparedness, while supporting countries facing heightened risks from mpox and other emerging infectious diseases.
The initiatives form part of broader efforts to strengthen Africa’s capacity to prepare for and respond to health emergencies using an all-hazards approach.
Such an approach covers a wide range of potential threats, including infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters and other emergencies that can place pressure on national health systems.
For Kenya, deeper regional cooperation is also consistent with efforts to strengthen disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and the country’s ability to respond to public health threats in collaboration with neighbouring states.
The meeting brought together countries and development partners at a time when African health systems continue to face the challenge of responding to outbreaks while maintaining essential health services.
By improving information sharing, coordinating response protocols and expanding access to medical countermeasures, the initiatives seek to reduce delays in emergency response and limit the impact of outbreaks on communities.
The agreements also reinforce the principle that health security requires collective action, particularly in a continent where people, goods and services move increasingly across national borders.
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