Africa under the microscope: Continent has 44 disease outbreaks and 104 active epidemic emergencies

• Since the start of 2024, different parts of Africa have recorded cases of cholera, measles, dengue fever, Lassa fever, meningitis, chikungunya, monkeypox, diphtheria and the West Nile virus.
• Africa has seen 44 disease outbreaks, contributing to 104 active epidemic emergencies.
• Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo have the highest number of outbreaks.

Since the start of the year, Africa has recorded 44 disease outbreaks, contributing to 104 active epidemic emergencies on the continent, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has reported.

The headline diseases were cholera, measles, dengue fever, Lassa fever, meningitis, chikungunya, monkeypox, diphtheria and the West Nile virus.

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Here's what's brewing where:

Cholera

Cholera has been detected in 15 African countries so far this year, namely Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Comoros, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa and Somalia.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been 8 440 confirmed cases and 45 939 suspected cases.

Zambia has been the worst affected, with 18 139 cases and 577 deaths. Zimbabwe followed with 13 105 cases and 182 deaths.

South Africa is the least affected with only two cases, both traced to having originated in Zimbabwe, and no death.

Measles

Cases of measles have been detected in Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, the Republic of Congo, DRC, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, Uganda and Zambia.

There were 1 977 confirmed cases and 885 deaths, as well as 37 769 suspected cases, Africa CDC said.

The DRC is the most affected country, with 22 285 suspected cases and 703 deaths. The outbreak was reported in all the country's 26 districts. 

Vaccination remains low in the DRC, with the report highlighting that vaccination for children above the age of 5 stood at 57% in 2018.

Monkeypox

Since the beginning of 2024, four African countries have reported 268 confirmed cases and 3 023 suspected cases.

The DRC is the most affected, with 3 190 reported cases and 249 deaths.

Only one death has been reported outside the DRC, in Cameroon.

In the first week of March, cases were detected in Cameroon, the CAR, the Republic of Congo and the DRC.

Africa CDC and its partners, including the World Health Organisation and governments, "continue to intensify surveillance, active case searches, risk communication and community engagement activities in affected districts".

Diphtheria has so far this year been recorded in Chad (204 cases, no deaths), Guinea (1 444 cases and 11 deaths) and Nigeria (3 119 cases and 33 deaths).

Mosquito-borne diseases

Also known as "breakbone fever" because of the physical pain sufferers feel, dengue fever has been detected in six African countries. Chad has had 983 cases and no deaths, Ethiopia has had 1 725 cases and two deaths, and Mali has reported 1 909 cases and no deaths.

Chikungunya is sometimes confused with dengue because it causes similar symptoms such as fever, muscle discomfort, headache and rash. Only four cases have been detected in Senegal, with no deaths. The country also recorded two cases of the West Nile Virus.

Lassa and meningitis

With 4 657 cases, Lassa fever has resulted in 130 deaths this year. Cases were detected in Guinea (28 cases and two deaths), Liberia (33 cases with no deaths), and Nigeria (4 596 cases and 128 deaths).

The fever is found in 27 of Nigeria's 37 states. Cases in the country are linked to an outbreak reported in January 2022.

Mali has recorded 83 suspected bacterial meningitis cases, of which there have been 19 confirmed cases and no deaths.

Nigeria has also recorded 1 770 suspected cases and 101 confirmed cases, with 157 deaths.

The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.