Tens of people have died due to an unknown illness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The illness of “unknown origin” appeared for the first time at the end of October. The authorities have registered 376 affected people. Symptoms of the condition include fever, headaches, nasal secretion, breathing difficulties, coughs and anemia. The authorities have deployed an intervention team to provide a “quick and effective response” to the outbreak. The protocol seeks to guarantee the immediate treatment of reported cases, while a group of experts takes samples from patients for laboratory analysis.

República Democrática del Congo

The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the rise in mpox cases constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), following advice from members at Wednesday’s International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee meeting.

South African health authorities have reported 3 cases of rabies in the country in the first 4 months of 2024. The cases were reported in eThekwini Municipality, KZN (1) and Ngqushwa Municipality, Amathole District, EC (1). The third case was in a patient hospitalized in Gauteng province who acquired the disease in Zimbabwe after an exposure in December 2023. All cases involved children aged 2, 5 and 7 years respectively. In two cases no post-exposure medical intervention was reportedly sought, while in one case an incomplete post-exposure rabies prophylaxis regimen was received. For the latter case, it is reported that rabies immunoglobulin and a dose of vaccine were administered after exposure, but the vaccination course was not completed.

Sudáfrica

According to the WHO, malaria cases are increasing in Ethiopia, with 328,881 new cases reported since the beginning of this year. Between January 1 and 28, 84 deaths were reported nationwide; a month-on-month increase of 16 percent.

Etiopía

Zanzibar, Tanzania has reported an increase in malaria cases between October and December 2023 Malaria cases increased from 3,223 people diagnosed with malaria in 2022 to 3,563 positive in June last year, while those hospitalized increased from 282 to 423 in the same period. Zanzibar was accelerating its path towards malaria elimination. The prevalence rate was 0.4 percent for at least a decade.

Tanzania

As of 20 November 2023, 684 suspected human cases, including four deaths, a case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.6%, were reported in 44 of 116 districts in nine of Zambia´s 10 provinces. Sinazongwe district is the epicenter, accounting for 287 cases (42% of the total 684 cases) and two deaths (50% of the total four deaths). The most affected provinces are Southern (370 cases; 54%), Western (88; 13%), Lusaka (82; 12%), Eastern (66; 10%) and Muchinga (47; 7%) provinces.

Zambia

As of 28 Oct 2023, the Africa CDC reported a total of 2779 yellow fever cases, and 36 deaths have been reported in 7 African Union countries this year. The impacted countries are: Cameroon (41 cases; 4 deaths), CAR (326; 5), Congo (324; 2), Gabon (79; 0), Guinea (178; 4), Nigeria (1,819; 21), and Uganda (12; 0).

Camerún, Congo, Gabón, Guinea, Nigeria, República Centro-Africana, Uganda

On 7 Oct 2023, a man and a woman went to the emergency department of the Reims University Hospital. Both had been injured by a cat in a North African country a few weeks earlier. As soon as they were admitted, the medical team identified that the woman presented clinical signs compatible with a suspected diagnosis of rabies. Despite rapid treatment in intensive care, the patient died on 9 Oct 2023. Asymptomatic, the man was given preventive care: prophylactic postexposure vaccination and monitoring. He is no longer hospitalised.

Marruecos

Since January 2023, a total of 8455 cases (2507 confirmed; 5948 suspected) and 230 deaths (CFR: 9.2%) of diphtheria have been reported in [4] African Union member states (MS): Algeria: (80 cases, 10 deaths), Guinea (90; 22), Niger (272; 8), and Nigeria (8013; 190). This week, 279 new cases (272 confirmed; 7 suspected) and 11 new deaths of diphtheria were reported from Guinea and Niger.

Argelia, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria

Dengue is an ongoing risk of dengue in many parts of Africa and the Middle East, and some countries are reporting higher-than-usual numbers of dengue cases (Chad, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Mauritius and Sudan) Travelers to areas of risk should protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites.

On 2 June 2023, the Ministry of Health of the United Republic of Tanzania declared the end of its first documented outbreak of Marburg virus disease (MVD). On 8 June 2023, after two consecutive incubation periods (42 days) without a new confirmed case reported, the Ministry of Health of Equatorial Guinea declared the end of the Marburg virus disease (MVD) outbreak

Guinea Ecuatorial, Tanzania

South Africa has recorded 2 positive cases of diphtheria disease. The 1st case was an adult in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), and the 2nd case was a child in the Western Cape. Diphtheria antitoxin is in short supply globally, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is working towards securing additional supply. The infection is treated with the appropriate antibiotics and supportive care in the absence of the antitoxin

Sudáfrica

Between 23 March 2023 and 13 April 2023, a total of 91 HEV suspected cases have been reported from Wau, of which 35 are confirmed; there have been five deaths reported

Sudán del Sur

In Equatorial Guinea, from 13 February to 1 May 2023, 17 laboratory-confirmed MVD cases and 23 probable cases have been reported. Among the laboratory-confirmed cases, there are 12 deaths (Case Fatality Ratio 75%). The most affected district is Bata in Litoral province. In Tanzania, between 16 March to 30 April 2023, a cumulative total of 9 cases including 8 laboratory-confirmed cases and 1 probable case have been reported. (CFR 66.7%). All cases have been reported from Bukoba district, Kagera region.

Tanzania, Guinea Ecuatorial

On March 21, 2023, Tanzania declared an outbreak of Marburg virus disease. Confirmed cases have been reported in the Kagera Region

Tanzania

As of 16 March 2023, confirmed cases have been reported from all provinces; eight out of nine South African provinces have declared measles outbreaks1. No deaths associated with measles have been recorded. Most cases (86%) are reported among those aged under 14 years.

Sudáfrica

From 1 January 2021 to 7 December 2022, a total of 203 confirmed and 252 probable cases with 40 deaths (Case Fatality Ratio 9%) were reported to WHO from 13 countries in the WHO African Region.

Dengue is an ongoing risk of dengue in many parts of Africa and the Middle East, and some countries are reporting higher-than-usual numbers of dengue cases. Travelers to areas of risk should protect themselves by preventing mosquito bites.

There are outbreaks and increased number of measles cases in several African countries

Uganda´s health ministry today reported 14 more lab-confirmed Ebola cases, pushing the outbreak total to 109. Health officials also reported 2 more deaths, raising the total to 30.

Uganda

Between 30 August and 17 October 2022, a total of 47 confirmed cases of Rift Valley fever (RVF), mostly among animal breeders, including 23 deaths, have been reported from nine of Mauritania’s 15 wilayas (regions).

Mauritania

The Ministry of Health of Uganda has declared an Ebola outbreak in several districts in Uganda. This outbreak has been linked to the Sudan ebolavirus. No vaccines or therapeutics have been approved for prevention or treatment of the Sudan ebolavirus.

Uganda

Situation at a glance Yellow fever is endemic in the WHO African Region and was among the top five most frequently reported events in the region in 2019 and 2020. Twenty-seven countries in Africa have been classified as high-risk by the Eliminate Yellow fever Epidemics (EYE) global strategy. From 1 January 2021 to 26 August 2022, a total of 12 countries in the region have reported 184 confirmed cases and 274 probable cases, including 21 deaths, reflecting ongoing complex viral transmission. Risk factors for onward spread and amplification include low population immunity, population movements, viral transmission dynamics, and climate and ecological factors that have contributed to the spread of Aedes mosquitoes. Response measures, most notably reactive and preventive vaccination campaigns, are ongoing in the affected countries. Since the beginning of 2021, over 3.9 million people have been vaccinated through reactive vaccination campaigns in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ghana, and Kenya. Description of outbreaks In 2021, nine African countries - Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d´Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, and Republic of the Congo - reported a total of 151 confirmed cases of yellow fever (for more details, please see the Disease Outbreak News published on 23 December 20211). Of these nine countries, six continue to report confirmed cases of yellow fever with ongoing transmission in 2022, while Côte d´Ivoire and Nigeria have reported probable cases2 and Gabon has not reported further cases since 2021. In 2022, two additional countries, Kenya3 and Uganda4, have reported confirmed cases of yellow fever. From 1 January to 26 August 2022, a total of 33 confirmed cases of yellow fever were reported from eight African countries including Central African Republic (33%, 11 cases), Cameroon (24%, eight cases), Democratic Republic of Congo (13%, four cases), Kenya (9%, three cases), Chad (6%, two cases), Republic of the Congo (6%, two cases), Uganda (6%, two cases), and Ghana (3%, one case). Ten countries - Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d´Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, and Republic of the Congo - have also reported a total of 274 probable cases of yellow fever from 1 January 2021 to 26 August 2022 (Table 1). The majority of cases over the entire period were reported in the last quarter of 2021 (Figure 1), with Ghana reporting around 33% of all confirmed cases. Of 184 confirmed cases, 73% are aged 30 years and below, and the male-to-female ratio is 1.2. The case count and the number of outbreaks are anticipated to continue evolving as the Region enters the seasonal period when there is often an increase in cases notified. Figure 1. Probable and confirmed cases of yellow fever by week of symptom onset in countries reporting transmission in the WHO African Region, 1 January 2021 to 26 August 2022.