4 New events
59 Ongoing events
52 Outbreaks
11 Humanitarian crises
This Weekly Bulletin focuses on selected acute public health emergencies occurring in the WHO African Region. The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 63 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key new and ongoing events, including:
Monkeypox in Cameroon
Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Lassa fever in Liberia
Listeriosis in South Africa
Cholera in Zimbabwe.
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 issues and challenges include:
The outbreak Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to draw public attention and concern globally. The occurrence of a confirmed case in Mbandaka City, the capital of Equateur Province, has brought a new dimension to the evolution of the outbreak. Rapid and robust response remains the only solution to this situation. However, this requires adequate and timely resources.
WHO and partners are appealing to the global community to work together in order to quickly contain this outbreak.A new outbreak of monkeypox has occurred in Cameroon, an event coming after nearly three decades since the last confirmed case in the country. The incidence of monkeypox has been increasing in the African Region recently, with six countries reporting outbreaks since 2016. As yet knowledge about the epidemiology and ecology of the virus remains limited, as well as surveillance for the disease. These gaps need to be addressed as a priority research agenda in order to design, recommend and implement needed prevention and control measures.