Tag: outbreak response

Crucial Week: Committee to Rule on Whether Mpox Remains a Public Health Emergency

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Sixteen months after the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS), the Emergency Consultative Group (ECG) is set to meet this week to decide whether the outbreak should be lifted as a PHECS or maintained. This follows months of surveillance and monitoring, with data suggesting the outbreak is steadily declining as countries intensify case detection, treatment services and community outreach in affected hotspots. According to Africa CDC, confirmed cases fell from a peak six-week average…

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WHO, Africa CDC Commence Countdown to Declare DRC Ebola-Free

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Durban Just over a month since the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) declared an Ebola outbreak, African health authorities say the situation is now under control, and the outbreak could soon be declared over. On September 4, 2025, the DRC Ministry of Public Health announced an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in Kasai Province. The index case was a 32-year-old pregnant woman from Bulape Health Zone in Kasai. Since then, 53 confirmed cases have been reported from 923 samples collected, with 34 confirmed deaths. However,…

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Zimbabwe Steps Up Disease Surveillance at Borders Through Epidemiologist Training

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has strengthened its frontline disease surveillance capacity with the graduation of 44 health workers from the Zimbabwe Field Epidemiology Training Programme (ZimFETP). The three-month training targeted officers stationed at ports of entry and epidemiologists working within city health departments, equipping them with practical skills to detect, investigate, and respond swiftly to outbreaks. Of the graduates, 20 were drawn from land borders and international airports while 24 came from city health departments across the country. The training was designed to close gaps in disease detection and response…

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