The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says cholera remains the continent’s most pressing epidemic challenge, with 323,307 cases and 7,352 deaths recorded across 24 countries in 2025.

Cholera is a severe diarrheal disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It spreads primarily through contaminated water or food. People who get infected can experience.

Yap Boum II, deputy incident manager for mpox at the Africa CDC Incident Management Support Team (IMST), disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja.

Mr Boum II spoke during a continental health webinar briefing, where he reviewed the status of major epidemic-prone diseases across Africa.

He said Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Angola, and South Sudan accounted for nearly 90 per cent of reported cholera cases, largely driven by poor access to clean water, weak sanitation infrastructure, and cross-border population movements.

“Cholera cannot be eliminated through medical response alone. Sustainable control requires strong political commitment, investment in water and sanitation infrastructure, and preventive vaccination in hotspot districts,” he said.

He cited Angola as a case study, noting that while vaccination and emergency response helped curb outbreaks, repeated peaks within the same year showed the limits of reactive measures without long-term infrastructure.

According to him, Africa CDC is working with countries to prioritise cholera hotspots, combine preventive vaccination with WASH interventions, and accelerate progress toward cholera elimination by 2030.

He said the gains made through Ebola and mpox responses, such as community-based surveillance, decentralised response systems, and risk communication, should now be leveraged to tackle cholera and other epidemic-prone diseases.

“As the year begins, this is an opportunity for innovation and stronger political engagement, because the most critical decisions are taken at the highest level,” he said.

Mr Boum II, however, disclosed that Nigeria currently accounts for about 97 per cent of reported Lassa fever cases in West Africa, underscoring the urgent need for sustained regional and international support.

According to him, while Lassa fever remains a major concern in Nigeria, Africa has recorded significant progress in controlling Ebola, with cases declining sharply toward the end of 2025.

He said Ebola cases peaked in May 2025 with over 6,000 cases in a single month but fell to fewer than 100 cases by December, representing a 91 per cent decline.

“The Central African region was the most affected, largely due to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which accounted for the majority of cases and deaths,” he said.

He, however, warned that Ebola outbreaks often began with a single case, stressing the need for continued surveillance, particularly in countries reporting new or resurgent cases such as Madagascar, Mali, and Cameroon.

On Marburg virus disease, he said Ethiopia was nearing the end of its outbreak, with no confirmed cases reported in recent weeks.

“We are now in the countdown phase, with about 40 days remaining before the outbreak can be officially declared over.

“This is a strong example of leadership and rapid response in controlling an outbreak at its source,” he said.

He also highlighted progress in mpox vaccination, noting that Africa CDC and partners had mobilised 15 million vaccine doses, with five million delivered to 16 countries.

Mr Boum 11 said more than two million doses had already been administered, including 1.2 million MVA-BN doses and about 800,000 LC16 doses in the DRC.

He added that children and adolescents accounted for nearly 30 per cent of vaccinated persons on the continent.

“Vaccination is not a silver bullet, but it remains a critical pillar in fast-tracking outbreak control,” he said.

(NAN)