During the agency’s weekly briefing on Thursday, Ngashi Ngongo, Chief of Staff and Head of Executive at Africa CDC, reported fresh spikes in infections in Liberia, Kenya, and Ghana, despite encouraging progress in other high-burden nations.
Ngongo said Ghana had recorded an average of 38 mpox cases, with most of them concentrated in the Western and Greater Accra regions, accounting for 70 per cent of all reported cases out of 3,449 identified contacts, of which 16 tested positive.
“Mpox testing in Ghana has now been decentralised across 15 regions, and the country began vaccination on 3 October with 33,000 doses deployed nationwide,” he noted.
On cholera, Ngongo revealed that Africa has already surpassed the total number of cases recorded in 2024, with 272,324 infections reported by week 39, compared to 254,075 in the previous year. The case fatality rate has also climbed from 1.9 per cent to 2.3 per cent.
So far, 23 member states have been affected, with 17 countries currently battling active outbreaks. He cautioned that the numbers could rise further as many regions enter the rainy season, which typically fuels cholera transmission.
Ngongo identified Chad, Angola, and Burundi among the countries experiencing the sharpest surge, with reported cases soaring by more than 160 per cent between epidemiological weeks 34 and 39.
He described the resurgence in Angola as “particularly worrisome,” with new hotspots emerging in Lunda Norte, Nuich, and Willa despite earlier vaccination campaigns that distributed two million oral cholera doses in July.
“Unsafe water, poor sanitation, and outbreaks in mining and river-dependent communities remain key drivers of the epidemic in Angola,” he said.
In Burundi, cholera cases have risen by 26 per cent since week 29, although no deaths have been recorded. The outbreaks, he explained, are being fuelled by water scarcity, poor sanitation, and cross-border movements from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Ngongo also highlighted efforts to contain Rift Valley fever outbreaks in Senegal and Mauritania, while noting that the DRC has recorded encouraging progress in containing mpox, reporting no confirmed cases for 10 consecutive days.
He stressed that most recent outbreaks are zoonotic in nature, underscoring the urgent need for a One Health approach that integrates human, animal, and environmental health sectors.
“The issue of access to medical countermeasures remains real,” Ngongo added. “We must step up research, development, and local manufacturing to ensure Africa produces its own vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.”
He further noted that a newly signed collaboration framework between Africa CDC and the World Health Organization (WHO) will enhance partnerships, strengthen integration, and improve coordination of responses to multiple health emergencies across the continent.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), mpox — formerly known as monkeypox — is caused by the mpox virus and spreads through close contact with infected individuals, animals, or contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, swollen lymph nodes, headache, and a rash similar to smallpox but generally milder.
Cholera, a waterborne disease caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria, spreads through contaminated food or water and can lead to acute watery diarrhoea and death if untreated. Health experts emphasise that early detection, access to safe water, sanitation, and prompt treatment remain vital in preventing fatalities.