Cynthia Ezegwu
The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for stronger community-based surveillance, improved vaccination coverage, and sustained cross-border collaboration to curb the spread of ongoing disease outbreaks across the continent.
Incident Manager for Health Emergencies at Africa CDC, Prof. Yap Boum, made the appeal on Friday during the agency’s weekly news briefing, which reviewed the epidemiological situation of Mpox, cholera, Ebola, Rift Valley fever, malaria, and other priority diseases across Africa.
Boum said that while progress had been made—with the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo nearing its 42-day countdown to the end—continued vigilance was crucial.
“We are in the countdown phase for Ebola in Bulape, but this does not mean we are out of the outbreak. We must strengthen monitoring, surveillance, and community engagement to sustain progress,” he said.
He disclosed that more than 37,000 people, including healthcare workers and children, had been vaccinated against Ebola. Preventive vaccination campaigns are also being supported in other provinces and neighbouring countries to boost preparedness.
On Mpox, Boum said the continent had recorded an 80 per cent decline from its peak, with 13 countries conducting vaccination campaigns that have reached over 1.5 million people. However, he raised concerns about rising cases in Kenya, Liberia, and Ghana, where transmission remains active.
“We are supporting Kenya with 20,000 additional vaccine doses and helping to strengthen community-level response and communication,” he added.
He described cholera as Africa’s most challenging disease, noting that 297,394 cases and 6,084 deaths had been reported across 23 member states so far in 2025.
Boum warned that the rainy season could worsen transmission in several high-burden countries, including Angola, Burundi, Sudan, and South Sudan, unless water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions were urgently scaled up.
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“Cholera is a disease of inequity, and stopping it requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach,” he stated.
Boum reaffirmed Africa CDC’s commitment to strengthening National Public Health Institutes (NPHIs) to improve community-based surveillance and ensure timely outbreak detection and response.
Speaking on behalf of the agency’s Surveillance and Disease Intelligence Unit, Dr. Kyeng Mercy announced the launch of a continental data architecture and health information exchange policy to enhance data protection and harmonised reporting across member states.
Africa CDC, through its Incident Management Support Team, coordinates outbreak preparedness and response in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), national public health institutes, and regional partners across the continent.