Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warns of rising outbreaks of cholera, Mpox and Marburg virus disease across the continent, citing weak water systems, poor sanitation and widening funding gaps that continue to threaten Africa’s health security.
The alert was issued by Incident Manager for Health Emergencies at Africa CDC, Dr Yap Boum, during the agency’s weekly virtual briefing on Thursday. He says the continent is facing a challenging period marked by multiple, simultaneous outbreaks.
Dr Boum explains that, since the COVID-19 pandemic, Africa has been pushing a new agenda focused on health security and sovereignty. He announces that The Lancet has published the Africa Health Security and Sovereignty Agenda, marking a shift from the continent’s previous New Public Health Order.
He warns that Africa cannot achieve universal health coverage without the ability to finance and govern its own health systems. “We must be able to produce what we use,” he says, adding that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is already causing more than 27 deaths per 100,000 people, although the real impact may be much higher.
Highlighting Mpox trends, he notes declines across most countries but identifies Ghana, Kenya, Liberia and Guinea as continued areas of concern. Ghana, however, has seen improvement, with 72 per cent of cases concentrated in two regions where surveillance and vaccination are intensifying.
On cholera, he says several countries remain at risk due to fragile water systems. Kenya is battling both cholera and Mpox with a case fatality rate above acceptable thresholds, while Cameroon has reported new cholera cases in the Far North region.
He adds that Ethiopia is responding to confirmed Marburg virus disease cases in Jinka, with the Africa CDC supporting surveillance and cross-border preparedness in Kenya and South Sudan.
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Juliet Jacob 
Mirian Gom 