Africa CDC Issues Alert Over Rising Cholera, Mpox and Marburg Cases
Africa is facing increasing public health threats, including cholera, mpox, Marburg virus, measles, dengue, and Lassa fever, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has reported.
The Africa CDC Incident Manager for Health Emergencies, Yap Boum, said the continent’s health systems remain stretched, highlighting the need for local drug production, strong laboratories, digital systems, and domestic health financing to improve resilience.
Disease Overview
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Mpox: 132,442 suspected cases, 40,218 confirmed, 953 deaths; vaccination ongoing in 18 countries.
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Cholera: 311,618 cases, 7,187 deaths; Sudan, DRC, South Sudan, and Angola account for most fatalities.
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Marburg Virus: 13 confirmed cases, 8 deaths in Jinka, Ethiopia; rapid response teams deployed.
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Other diseases: Measles (140,217 suspected, 11,674 confirmed, 1,243 deaths), Dengue (52,155 suspected, 6,062 confirmed, 139 deaths), Lassa fever (8,791 suspected, 1,023 confirmed, 192 deaths).
The DRC has declared the end of its 16th Ebola outbreak in Kasai Province, while South Sudan has activated its Emergency Operations Centre.
Boum stressed that long-term investments in preparedness, including workforce protection, early warning systems, and community engagement, are essential to curb outbreaks and strengthen Africa’s health security.
