The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned of a surge in outbreaks of cholera, Mpox, and Marburg virus across the continent.
The agency also flagged rising threats from other public health emergencies, driven by fragile water systems, poor sanitation, and significant funding gaps.
Prof. Yap Boum, Incident Manager for Health Emergencies at Africa CDC, issued the warning on Thursday during the continent’s virtual weekly press briefing.
Boum said that since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Africa had been advancing a new health security and sovereignty agenda. He announced that The Lancet had published the Africa Health Security and Sovereignty Agenda, marking a shift from the earlier New Public Health Order.
According to him, the new strategy is anchored on five pillars aimed at strengthening the continent’s health systems: prevention, preparedness and emergency response, digital transformation, local manufacturing of health products, and domestic, innovative and blended health financing.
He stressed that Africa could not achieve universal health coverage or pandemic readiness without the capacity to fund, produce, and govern its own health systems and countermeasures.
Boum also warned that Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is already causing more than 27 deaths per 100,000 people in Africa, with the actual burden likely higher.
“Only 1.3 per cent of laboratories on the continent have bacteriology capacity, meaning most antibiotics are prescribed without laboratory confirmation, fueling misuse and resistance,” he said.
On Mpox, Boum said cases were declining continent-wide, although Ghana, Kenya, Liberia and Guinea remained areas of concern.
“Ghana has shown steady improvement over the past three weeks, with 72 per cent of cases concentrated in Greater Accra and the Western Region, where surveillance, RCC interventions and vaccination efforts are being intensified.
“Ghana’s 25 per cent test positivity rate reflects active case finding and tracing. Nearly one million vaccine doses have been delivered across 16 countries, and 80 per cent of countries have used more than half of their vaccine stocks.
“Liberia will receive 20,000 doses next week, while Kenya is scheduled to receive another consignment on Dec. 10,” he added.
Boum said cholera remained Africa’s most urgent outbreak, with cases and deaths now three times higher than they were three years ago. South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola and Nigeria account for 90 per cent of all cases on the continent.
Giving country-specific updates, he said Angola had 152 affected municipalities, a 2.6 per cent case fatality rate, and a slight weekly decline in cases from 606 to 500. He noted that 44 per cent of the population still lacks access to safe drinking water.
In the DRC, he said more than 7,000 cases had been recorded within six weeks despite a downward trend, making it one of the countries with the heaviest cholera burden.
Burundi continues to record a very low case fatality rate of 0.4 per cent, with cases declining, although vulnerable water systems remain a major risk.
“Kenya is battling both Mpox and cholera, with a case fatality rate of about four per cent, which is above acceptable thresholds. Hotspots include Narok, Migori and peri-urban areas of Nairobi. Ongoing interventions include WASH support, clinical training and water distribution.
“Cameroon has reported new cholera cases in the Far North region bordering Nigeria, where challenging terrain is limiting access. Authorities have activated rapid response systems,” he said.
On Marburg virus disease, Boum said Ethiopia was responding to an outbreak in Jinka, South Ethiopia, where four cases and three deaths had been confirmed, representing a 75 per cent fatality rate.
“Rapid response teams have been deployed, and Africa CDC is supporting surveillance and cross-border preparedness efforts in Kenya and South Sudan,” he added.
