The area of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) records around 40 new epidemics every year, Xinhua reports citing a representative of the West African Health Organization.
"We are one of the regions of Africa most affected by epidemics," said Babacar Fall during a meeting of health experts.
The expert called for pooling efforts and synergizing actions of all stakeholders in ECOWAS for effective management of public health emergencies.
Representative of the Ivorian Minister of Health Charles Koffi Aka recommended alert measures and called for enhancing communication over prevention of epidemics.
Common epidemics in the region include measles, cholera, meningitis, Lassa fever and yellow fever.
