Latest news with #AfricaCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention
The Star
6 days ago
- Health
- The Star
Africa CDC urges aggressive action to curb mpox outbreak in southern Ethiopia
ADDIS ABABA, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has called for aggressive efforts to control mpox in southern Ethiopia to avert possible cross-border spread. The East African country reported its first mpox case on May 25 when a 21-day-old infant tested positive in Moyale near the Kenyan border. On Friday, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health announced that the number of cases has now reached six as three new cases were confirmed. During an online media briefing on Thursday evening, Ngashi Ngongo, chief of staff and head of the Executive Office at Africa CDC, expressed concern due to Moyale town's close proximity to neighboring Somalia. "The proximity to Somalia, and knowing all the challenges in Somalia, makes it that we really need to be very bold and aggressive to control this outbreak from the source so that it does not expand from the region," he said. Meanwhile, Ngongo said that the African continent has reported 139,233 mpox cases since the start of last year. Of these, 34,824 were confirmed and about 1,788 related deaths were recorded. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, was first detected in laboratory monkeys in 1958. It is a rare viral disease transmitted through body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials. The infection often causes fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.
Time Magazine
08-05-2025
- Health
- Time Magazine
Nicaise Ndembi
More than 21,000 people in Africa contracted mpox in 2024—a bad number that could have been much worse without the help of Nicaise Ndembi, then head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and now the deputy director general of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). In his time at AfricaCDC, Ndembi led the continent-wide response to mpox—strengthening surveillance and screening and providing vaccines and medicinal therapeutics—and also established the Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing, which created a framework for regional vaccine manufacturing and self-reliance. In his new role at the IVI, he will work to establish home-grown vaccine research and development, accelerating vaccine availability and distribution across Africa's 54 countries.
Russia Today
24-04-2025
- Health
- Russia Today
Russia launches first epidemic response drills in Africa
Russia's health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, has collaborated with Ethiopia's Health Ministry to conduct simulation drills for rapid response to sanitary and epidemiological emergencies in Africa as part of efforts to enhance the continent's epidemic readiness. The inaugural Russian-African International Exercises for Rapid Response Teams began in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, on Wednesday, Rospotrebnadzor announced in a press release. The agency said medical experts and public health officials from 15 African nations, Russia, and global organizations are taking part in the exercises for hands-on training in managing disease outbreaks. According to the statement, Russian specialists will teach the principles of team formation, resource mobilization, epidemiological investigation, and international coordination skills using mobile laboratories that Moscow supplied to Addis Ababa. In an opening speech read on his behalf, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated Moscow's commitment to strengthening health partnerships with African countries, stating that the Ethiopia initiative 'undoubtedly takes our cooperation to a qualitatively new level.' 'The Russian Federation attaches great importance to the development of international cooperation to counter the threat of dangerous infectious diseases. African states have traditionally been important partners for us in this area,' Putin said. He noted that since the second Russia-Africa summit in July 2023, Moscow has launched a large-scale program to help African states in combating outbreaks. 'In less than two years, more than 150 African specialists have already been trained within the framework of this program, joint research is being conducted to study dozens of dangerous infections, and six mobile laboratories have been delivered to African countries,' Putin said. The program in Addis Ababa is the latest outcome of the Russia-Africa Summit, where both sides agreed to expand cooperation in various fields, including health. Rospotrebnadzor has since ramped up its activities. Russia donated a mobile laboratory to the Republic of the Congo in February, following an agreement between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso last year to establish a joint laboratory for infectious disease prevention. Russia has also provided assistance to Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, DR Congo, Guinea, and Ethiopia in response to the mpox outbreak, which was declared a sanitary and epidemiological emergency last year. During recent talks with the deputy director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Raji Tajudin, in Ethiopia, Rospotrebnadzor chief Anna Popova classified Africa as one of the regions most vulnerable to infectious disease risks.
Washington Post
13-03-2025
- Health
- Washington Post
US aid cuts are hurting Africa's ability to respond to disease outbreaks, health chief says
KAMPALA, Uganda — Aid cuts by the United States are hurting Africa's capacity to respond to disease outbreaks, the head of the continent's public health agency said Thursday, ahead of a meeting with regional health ministers to discuss other financing options. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC, told reporters that Friday's meeting with African health ministers will 'discuss recent developments in global health financing' and where more sustainable funding might come from.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
US aid cuts are hurting Africa's ability to respond to disease outbreaks, health chief says
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Aid cuts by the United States are hurting Africa's capacity to respond to disease outbreaks, the head of the continent's public health agency said Thursday, ahead of a meeting with regional health ministers to discuss other financing options. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC, told reporters that Friday's meeting with African health ministers will 'discuss recent developments in global health financing' and where more sustainable funding might come from. Kaseya spoke of a 'new era' in health financing after U.S. aid cuts that have left health systems in Africa in disarray. The aid cuts, which affect governments and their partners in the non-governmental sector, have shut down or disrupted projects tackling diseases ranging from malaria to AIDS. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Much of the funding to the Africa CDC and regional governments was lost with the Trump administration's decision to terminate most foreign aid contracts and cut $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance abroad. Many of the affected programs are in fragile countries that are highly reliant on U.S. aid to support health systems, nutrition programs and stave off starvation. Kaseya cited the immediate impact in Congo, which is the epicenter mpox outbreaks in Africa and where aid cuts and insecurity in the country's east have contributed to challenges in testing for the disease as well as securing enough vaccine doses. Aid cuts have impeded the collection and transportation of samples in Congo, Kaseya said. 'We know this aid cut is a difficult moment for our countries, and it came overnight,' he said. 'Some of them were not prepared for this major aid cut.' The U.S. aid cuts affecting the response to outbreaks of mpox, Ebola and other diseases are the latest in a trend of declining monetary support by international partners over the years, he warned. 'We are not just talking about the U.S.,' he said. 'We are saying almost all Western countries are decreasing their support. And that one is a critical issue for our health security.' Kaseya said the Africa CDC and the World Bank are discussing possible 'transitional' funding in the aftermath of U.S. aid cuts.
