This Weekly Bulletin focuses on selected acute public health emergencies occurring in the WHO African Region. The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 48 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key ongoing events, including:
- Microcephaly in Angola
- Cholera in Zambia
- Dengue fever in Burkina Faso
- Humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Humanitarian crisis Nigeria
- Yellow fever in Nigeria
For each of these events, a brief description followed by public health measures implemented and an interpretation of the situation is provided.
A table is provided at the end of the bulletin with information on all new and ongoing public health events currently being monitored in the region, as well as events that have recently been closed.
Major challenges include:
The complex humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains serious, with huge unmet needs. The incidences and mortality rates of both cholera and measles have remained high, above acceptable levels. This situation calls for urgent attention from the international community.
Angola is experiencing a slow but gradually increasing incidence of microcephaly, particularly in the suburbs of Luanda, the capital city.
This event needs in-depth investigations to establish the extent and etiology of the condition.