Africa CDC calls for self-reliance as Africa faces surging health emergencies

Addis Ababa, April 6 (IANS) As Africa faces an "unprecedented surge" in public health emergencies, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called on African countries to strengthen domestic financing mechanisms to address emerging and existing public health challenges.

The Africa CDC made the call in two latest reports -- Africa CDC Annual Report 2024 and Africa's Health Financing in a New Era Report, both released Thursday. Highlighting the agency's strides in promoting disease control and health security across Africa, the two reports list challenges that risk reversing the continent's decades of progress in public health, Xinhua news agency reproted.

Data from the African Union's specialised healthcare agency show that the continent, over the past 24 months, has witnessed an "unprecedented surge in public health emergencies," rising by about 41 per cent -- from 152 disease outbreaks in 2022 to 213 in 2024. It said the surge in disease outbreaks has placed "immense pressure on already fragile health systems, exposing deep-seated vulnerabilities and severely weakening the continent's capacity for timely and effective response."

Africa's health sector is facing a financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70 per cent in official development assistance from 2021 to 2025, the Africa CDC said.

It noted that the situation is further worsened by the continent's heavy external dependency with over 90 per cent of vaccines, medicines and diagnostics being externally sourced, leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks.

"Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face two to four million additional preventable deaths annually. A total of 39 million more Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks," the Africa CDC said in its health financing report.

Underscoring its commitment to addressing the continent's public health challenges, the Africa CDC, in its annual report, outlined achievements across six strategic priority areas. These priorities include strengthening integrated health systems, promoting local manufacturing of health products, enhancing early warning and surveillance systems, fortifying national public health institutes, improving laboratory systems and networks, as well as ensuring robust emergency preparedness and response to health threats.

The report highlighted the Africa CDC's "instrumental role" in supporting national responses to several major public health emergencies in 2024, including in addressing the mpox outbreak that affected over 20 African countries and the Marburg virus disease in Rwanda, while also supporting 15 African countries dealing with cholera outbreaks.

--IANS

int/rs