Category: AFRICA

Study Validates Impact of International Teams in Africa’s Outbreak Response

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  A new study conducted by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in collaboration with the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) has confirmed the critical role international health teams have played in strengthening outbreak response across the African continent. The study also underscores the need for more strategic and context-specific support models to ensure long-term sustainability and resilience in national health systems. Presented and validated during a high-level virtual workshop held from 23 to 24 June 2025, the study offers one of…

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Combustible Cigarettes Don’t Belong to the 21st Century – Gontkovičová

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa recently in Cape Town As the world intensifies efforts to reduce tobacco-related disease and death, the call to phase out combustible cigarettes is growing louder, and now, one of the most senior voices in the tobacco industry has declared that these products no longer belong in the modern age. Speaking at the 2025 Technovation Summit in Cape Town, Andrea Gontkovičová, Vice President of External Affairs for Philip Morris International (PMI), made a bold declaration. It looks like Africa is really missing out on this opportunity, on the…

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Zimbabwe Hosts High-Level Regional Meeting to Advance National Public Health Institutes Across Southern Africa

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has opened its doors to public health leaders from across Southern Africa this week, hosting the fourth edition of the Regional National Public Health Institutes (NPHI) Indaba. The three-day meeting, which began on June 25 in Harare, convenes African Union (AU) Member States, global health partners, and technical institutions to evaluate progress and reinforce the commitment toward building and strengthening National Public Health Institutes across the continent. Organised by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the gathering seeks to address persistent gaps…

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Ghanaian Pharmacist, Dr. Delese Mimi Darko Appointed Director General of the African Medicines Agency

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Dr. Delese Mimi Darko has been appointed as the new Director General of the African Medicines Agency (AMA), marking a pivotal step toward strengthening health regulation and ensuring access to quality-assured medicines across Africa. With nearly three decades of experience in the medical and pharmaceutical fields, she brings deep expertise and a proven track record in medicine safety, regulation, and international collaboration. Beginning her career as a pharmacist, Dr. Darko later earned a Master’s in Business Administration. Her regulatory journey has spanned 28 years, during which she…

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Pain Matters: Haleon Kenya launches Pain Management Institute

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter  Haleon, a global leader in consumer health, is proud to announce the launch of its transformative Pain Management Institute (HPMI) in Kenya. The Institute delves deeper into the management of pain and includes key experts bringing a multidisciplinary approach to understanding and addressing the determinants of, and solutions to, pain. What our research is showing is that pain is rarely just physiological. Those living with pain often feel isolated, misunderstood, and worse, unheard. With a third of the world’s population in pain every day, we must devise…

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Africa Faces 95% Mpox Vaccine Gap Amid Delayed Global Support

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Africa is facing a critical shortfall in Mpox vaccine supply, with only 219,000 doses available out of the 6.4 million needed by August 2025 — a gap of more than 95%, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). Despite the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in 2022, vaccine access across the continent remains alarmingly low, raising concerns of a repeat of the COVID-19 vaccine inequity crisis. Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, Chief Advisor to the Africa…

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Africa CDC and Unitaid partner to strengthen equitable access to health products in Africa

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and Unitaid have formed a new strategic partnership to expand the production of essential health products in Africa and improve sustainable access to medicines, diagnostics, and medical oxygen across the continent. Signed on the margins of the 78th World Health Assembly, the Memorandum of Understanding focuses on scaling up regional manufacturing as a central pillar of Africa’s health security and autonomy. Africa bears 25% of the global disease burden yet imports more than 95% of the active pharmaceutical…

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Africa’s Mpox Fight Faces Setback Without Urgent Delivery of 6 Million Vaccine Doses

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa As Mpox infections continue to surge in parts of Africa, health experts are sounding the alarm over a critical shortage of vaccines that threatens to derail the continent’s response efforts. Despite signs of a decline in cases in countries such as Uganda and Burundi, Africa’s stockpile of Mpox vaccines is rapidly depleting, prompting calls for urgent international support. The warning comes as Sierra Leone experiences an exponential rise in new infections. In the past three weeks alone, the country has accounted for 58.2 percent of all confirmed…

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Zimbabwe Joins Rollout of First-Ever Oral Treatment for Deadly Sleeping Sickness

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is among five African countries that have started administering the world’s first all-oral treatment for Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense sleeping sickness—a rare but deadly disease that has long affected communities in East and Southern Africa. The development marks a turning point in the fight against this neglected tropical disease, especially in endemic regions like Zimbabwe, where tsetse fly infestations remain a concern. The new drug, Fexinidazole Winthrop, is now being offered free of charge in specialized treatment centres in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Zambia. Its approval…

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Africa CDC Denies World Bank Ordered Layoffs, Clarifies Internal Staffing Review

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has strongly refuted claims that the World Bank directed the institution to cut dozens of staff positions, describing the assertion as factually incorrect and misleading. In an official statement issued on 12 May 2025, Africa CDC expressed concern over a recent article published by Devex, titled “Exclusive: World Bank directs Africa CDC to cut dozens of positions.” The organization said the headline and the article’s framing risk distorting internal developments that are part of a broader strategic…

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