The Lancet Infectious Diseases: A new day for African public health
Editorial Board

“…The [Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)] is Africa’s first continent-wide public health agency … The aim of the Africa CDC will be to establish early warning and response surveillance systems, respond to emergencies, build capacity, and provide technical expertise to address health emergencies in a timely and effective manner. … Although at the moment there is optimism regarding Africa CDC, insufficient funding is the key element that could hamper implementation of any program in the field. Despite receiving funding from both the African Union and China, there is uncertainty regarding the impact that a change in the commitment of the new U.S. government to support the Global Health Security Agenda could have on Africa CDC. Moreover, issues with bureaucracy and limited capacity to recruit and retain experienced epidemiologists have already been identified for the new agency. Nevertheless, the intrinsic value of the new Africa CDC remains: as an African-owned institution, the agency will be in the unique position to promote programs that protect the health of Africans specifically. For that reason, we hope that a new day for African public health has finally come” (March 2017).