Director of Communicable Diseases Cluster of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa Magda Robalo receives an interview with Xinhua in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, on June 28, 2017. Remarkable progress has been achieved in tackling communicable diseases in Africa despite challenges, Magda Robalo said here on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran)
KIGALI, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Remarkable progress has been achieved in tackling communicable diseases in Africa despite challenges, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said here on Wednesday.
"The African region is confronted with very heavy burden of communicable diseases such as HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, as well as neglected tropical diseases, and it is witnessing non-communicable diseases increasing as well," said Magda Robalo, director of Communicable Diseases Cluster of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa.
The region is facing multiple challenges in tackling the communicable diseases, including a lack of human resources and education on disease prevention, a fragile health system, climate change, and an insufficient budget, she said on the sidelines of the first WHO Africa Health Forum held in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda.
Achievements have been made during the past years which reduced malaria infections in the region and malaria-related deaths, she added.
"Polio is on the verge of being eradicated. Outbreak of yellow fever has been contained. Togo has been the first country in Africa that has eliminated lymphatic filariasis recently," she said.
"Africa also has significant health progress in the fight against HIV that nearly 50 percent of people living with HIV have been put on treatment," the director said.
Speaking of China's contribution to the health sector in Africa, Robalo said China-Africa cooperation "is increasing by the day."
"It is essentially a bilateral cooperation, but we are increasingly moving towards an entire collaboration where WHO works with China in order to see how best we can support maximizing the collaboration between China and African countries," she said.
Countries outside Africa can be good partners to African countries in the health sector, while African countries also have good experience to share with countries outside Africa, she added.
The two-day Africa health forum concluded on Wednesday with the participation of more than 700 delegates from governments and non-governmental organizations.
