The World Health Organisation (WHO) has responded to more than 21 public health emergencies across Africa in first eight months of 2025, prompting urgent calls by regional health ministers to reinforce fragile health systems and prepare for future crises.
This emerged from the 75th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa held in the Zambian capital Lusaka from 25-27 August where ministers from across the continent pledged to strengthen national capacities to anticipate, respond to and recover from health threats.
“We can no longer afford to be caught unprepared,” WHO Regional Director for Africa Mohamed Janabi said, noting that every emergency that disrupts health systems should be regarded as an important lesson to learn from.
“We must build resilient systems to cope with health emergencies and at the same time deliver routine services effectively.”
The WHO meeting came amid a surge in outbreaks of diseases such as cholera, mpox, measles, dengue and polio, which have strained already fragile health infrastructures and disrupted livelihoods across multiple countries.
In 2025 alone, cholera outbreaks have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Malawi, while mpox remains active in 15 countries, including Uganda and Sierra Leone, despite coordinated continental response efforts.
Measles and dengue have flared in densely populated urban centres, and polio continues to pose a threat in areas with low vaccination coverage.
Ministers agreed to prioritise the development of a robust and equitably distributed health workforce.
Commitments include expanding recruitment, improving rural deployment and investing in continuous training to equip health workers for both routine care and emergency response.
Educational institutions will be engaged to align curricula with national health strategies and evolving security needs.
The meeting also emphasised the need to embed resilience into core service delivery, particularly in conflict-affected regions.
Delegates called for stronger leadership, improved coordination, and infrastructure capable of withstanding future shocks.
Community involvement was highlighted as key to building trust and accelerating response times, with plans to co-develop early warning systems and empower grassroots organisations.
To ensure sustainability, ministers pledged to mobilise domestic resources and reduce reliance on external emergency appeals.
JN/APA