Cameroonian Prime Minister, Joseph Dion Ngute, signed on May 23 a decree on the creation, organization, and functioning of the  Emergency Coordination Center for Animal Health (CCOU-SA). This decree comes to increase Cameroon’s readiness to deal with epizootics (avian flu, swine fever, rabies...), which it faces regularly. These emergencies can have serious socioeconomic and public health consequences, especially for zoonoses that eventually spread among humans.

The Center will be placed under the authority of the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries, and Animal Industries (Minepia). "The Center serves as a framework for consultation between the various national and international actors involved in the management of animal health emergencies and as a framework for coordinating the various related interventions," the decree states.

It provides the platform, tools, support, and coordination necessary to strengthen the preparedness and response capacity at national and regional levels. It also identifies the needs to be addressed to improve prevention, detection, and recovery from public health emergencies. The CCOU-SA will also work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (Minsanté) and the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife (Minfof).

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