Central African health ministers agree to step up fight against COVID-19

Health Ministers from countries in Central Africa agreed on Thursday to jointly combat COVID-19 by sharing information and best practices.

The six-member states of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) made the commitment after a meeting on the novel coronavirus disease held in Cameroon's commercial capital Douala.

The ministers emphasized the growing urgency for cooperation in COVID-19 surveillance, prevention, detection and control in the sub-region, said Cameroonian Health Minister Manaouda Malachie, who chaired the deliberations.

"We now have a roadmap to combat the virus in the sub-region and our priority is to prevent its spread," Malachie told reporters at the meeting.

"We will reinforce communication and information sharing," he said, adding that several other "strong and urgent measures" have been adopted, including "the networking of laboratories and the publication of community diagnostic directives."

So far, Cameroon and Gabon have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the region.

The CEMAC countries include Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and the Republic of the Congo.