The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has announced plans to replicate its successful mpox emergency response model to contain a worsening cholera outbreak affecting 16 countries.
Ngashi Ngongo, principal advisor to Africa CDC’s director general, announced the agency’s plan to leverage lessons from its mpox response, which has successfully slowed the virus’s spread in affected nations.
“Lessons learned from the mpox response, especially the need for close collaboration with other partners, will now be applied to fighting cholera,” Ngongo said on Monday.
Africa CDC previously managed the mpox outbreak through its Incident Management Support Team (IMST), a coordinated response unit jointly led with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and supported by 26 global health partners.
The IMST will now integrate cholera response efforts, focusing on enhanced disease surveillance, improved health system resilience and increased local production of medical supplies.
The announcement by Ngongo comes as more than 178,000 cholera cases have been recorded since January 2024, with over 1,600 deaths reported.
The outbreak has been particularly severe in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan and Sudan – four countries accounting for over 90 percent of the reported cases.
South Sudan alone has recorded over 22,000 infections and 470 deaths this year, while Angola has surpassed 500 deaths from more than 15,000 cases.
Other affected countries are Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, according to Africa CDC.
However, as Africa CDC prepares to scale up its intervention, experts warn that addressing the root causes of cholera – such as inadequate water quality and sanitation – remains crucial.
Conflict in several affected nations has exacerbated the crisis, limiting access to clean water and disrupting healthcare services.
Calls have also been made for Africa CDC to strengthen regional vaccine procurement mechanisms to combat ongoing shortages.
Partnering with the Global Task Force on Cholera Control – an alliance of non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and UN agencies – is seen as a necessary step to ensure sustained intervention.
JN/APA