Public Health Emergency Management Fellowship Provides Real-life Immersion
Two cohorts of Public Health Emergency Management Fellows have so far been released by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) across the continent. These 27 fellows, consisting of eight from Cohort 1 and nineteen from Cohort 2, have the mandate to build a robust workforce capable of leading Africa’s public health emergency preparedness and response efforts. Africa CDC, through its Public […]
Rallying Call for Fair Access to Relevant AMR Countermeasures for Africa
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to escalate into one of the most pressing global health threats of our time. In response, Africa CDC convened the first-ever continental meeting on access to antimicrobials, diagnostics, and vaccines as countermeasures to AMR, bringing together policymakers, regulators, researchers, manufacturers, and development partners to drive urgent action. From 30 to 31 […]
Behind the Traces: The Unseen Workforce Holding Back Mpox
Rolling back the ongoing mpox outbreak across Africa rests on a deceptively simple principle: tracing every case and isolating every contact – from casual interactions to close physical contact. Yet even as African countries gain experience in identifying and confirming mpox infections, contact tracing remains one of the most challenging links in surveillance, ring vaccination […]
Making Laws Work in Times of Public Health Emergencies
A string of crises, from HIV and Ebola to COVID-19 and mpox, has shaped the public health landscape in Africa. Further worsened by recurring threats of infectious diseases and climate-induced health challenges, each of these emergencies has shown that medical and technical capacities alone are not sufficient to protect the continent’s 1.5 billion population. Regional […]
Protecting African Communities Through Wastewater Environmental Surveillance
In Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital, scientists at the National Public Health Institute examine cloudy water collected from city drains. These samples hold valuable information for public health. For Professor Isidore Bonkoungou, a bacteriology and virology specialist, this careful work marks the start of a significant change. “We are still in the early stages,” he said, […]
Eswatini Strengthens Epidemic Intelligence with New Event-Based Surveillance Guidelines
As the world continues to grapple with emerging and re-emerging health threats, the Kingdom of Eswatini has taken a decisive step towards strengthening its epidemic intelligence systems with the launch of its National Event-Based Surveillance (EBS) Guidelines. The new framework, developed by the Ministry of Health with support from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and […]
Rift Valley Fever Makes a Comeback in Senegal and Mauritania
It may have begun with the virus becoming active in the local mosquito population, prompted by heavy rains followed by warm weather — ideal conditions for the mosquitoes responsible for spreading the virus. Already present in the region, Rift Valley Fever (RVF) has now been confirmed in Senegal and Mauritania — two West African countries that share […]
Africa CDC and Kenya Agree to Strengthen Strategic Partnership on the New Public Health Order
Kenya’s Ministry of Health and the Africa CDC Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre (EARCC) have agreed to expedite the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) within the next two months. Priority actions include finalising the MoU, developing a joint workplan and performance framework, operationalising the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHEOC), and conducting regional simulation exercises. The agreement, reached following a high-level strategic meeting in Naivasha […]
Mpox Spurs Scientific Revival of Traditional African Medicine
For centuries, African communities have turned to traditional medicine to treat everything from fevers to infections. Yet, despite serving as the first line of health care for millions, these remedies rarely make it into formal medical systems. Lacking standardised processes, clinical trials, and regulatory oversight, most traditional medicines remain confined to informal use, their potential largely unrealised. Often […]
Health Emergency Leaders Network for Africa and Eastern Mediterranean Launched
Africa and Eastern Mediterranean regions’ top health leaders have joined forces to provide resources and expertise to improve health emergency response. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), together with the Kingdom of Morocco, launched the Health Emergency Leaders Network in Rabat, Morocco, in September. The Network brings together, for the first time, health leaders from the […]