Remarks by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti
Good morning, good afternoon, bonjour, bom dia and welcome to all the journalists joining this press conference today, where we will focus on the easing of COVID-19 restrictive and preventive measures, as a wave related to the highly transmissible, but not very lethal Omicron variant, subsides.
To mark World TB Day today as well, we will interrogate the impact of the pandemic on the fight against tuberculosis, which is one of the top 10 leading causes of death in Africa.
I am pleased to be joined for this important conversation by epidemiologist Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, who is the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, and by TB expert Dr Norbert Ndjeka, Chief Director for Tuberculosis Control and Management in South Africa’s National Department of Health.
A very warm welcome to both of you.
There have now been 11.6 million COVID-19 cases, and 251 000 lives sadly lost in Africa due to the pandemic. The positive news is that despite a slight uptick in cases at the beginning of the month, new cases and deaths are declining significantly.
With cases dropping and vaccination rates picking up in some African countries, and the horrendous economic and social cost of the COVID-19 measures, the need to reopen and resume normal activities is more than understandable. But the lifting of key control measures needs to be executed with due caution.
It is important, in this context, that the tracing of contacts, and picking up of new cases, be continued. This, along with robust testing, is the backbone of any pandemic response. Without this critical information, it may be difficult to track the spread of the virus, and identify new COVID-19 hotspots that may be caused by known or emerging variants.
Our analysis of open-source data reveals that 22 African countries are no longer doing any kind of contract tracing. Testing has also decreased, with only just a little over one in every four countries meeting the recommended weekly target of 10 tests per 10 000 population.
A WHO survey this month revealed that one-third of reporting countries in the WHO Africa Region no longer require quarantine for people exposed to COVID-19. And in one country, isolation is no longer required even for confirmed cases.
Mass gatherings are now banned in only about half the countries than was the case a year ago. Since early this year, several countries have also begun relaxing, or even removing screening and testing requirements for travelers.
WHO understands that after two years of restrictions in most aspects of social and economic life, Africa must open up, and has provided clear guidance to countries on how to implement and adjust public health and social measures as the pandemic evolves.
These recommend that countries carefully weigh the risks against the anticipated benefits, taking into account the capacity of health systems, immunity to COVID-19 of their populations, and their socio-economic and development priorities.
Going forward, it’s important that the relaxation of measures is supported by a system that allows for their urgent reinstatement if the situation deteriorates. Countries should also continue to closely monitor infection trends, and be able to quickly detect and respond to new cases and emerging variants.
Above all, it remains critical for countries to scale up COVID-19 vaccinations to protect their citizens.
These combined measures also have an impact on the second focus of this press conference today – the fight against tuberculosis.
Prior to COVID-19, many countries with a high burden of TB already faced major challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal target of ending the TB epidemic by 2030. Now, COVID-19 has reversed years of progress, with TB deaths increasing in 2021 for the first time in over a decade, due to interrupted access to services.
The African Region is home to more than half of the high-burden TB countries globally. The estimated 2.5 million cases in the Region in 2020 accounted for a quarter of the global burden, with more than half a million African lives sadly lost to this curable and preventable disease.
Despite the formidable toll, TB is not yet a health priority in many countries. In Africa, governments contribute only 22% of the resources required to deliver adequate TB services, while 44% of needs remain unfunded. This seriously impedes efforts to reduce the TB burden.
Botswana, South Africa and Zambia are the best examples of high-burden countries that have steadily increased domestic financing specifically allocated to TB. In 2020, South Africa provided 81% of domestic funding to support TB activities, while Zambia has increased its domestic funding seven-fold since 2015.
Botswana, which self-funded 71% of its national TB budget in 2020, is among global leaders in the breadth and sophistication of its TB response, through robust domestic investments in health.
Strong national leadership, political will and strategic partnerships are urgently needed to bridge the resource shortfall, and to accelerate technological breakthroughs and uptake of innovations. With 36% of all TB deaths occurring in Africa, investment in the TB response is non-negotiable.
I urge all stakeholders to advocate for increased investment, and to ensure that TB services are integrated into primary health care. We must also work more closely with our communities, leveraging their expert local knowledge and networks to tailor response efforts to have maximum impact.
So, I welcome again my two fellow panelists, and I look forward very much to our discussions today, and thank you, members of the press for joining us.