WHO AFRO has published its Weekly Bulletin on Outbreaks and Other Emergencies for week 15 (April 7-13). The overview:
This Weekly Bulletin focuses on selected acute public health emergencies occurring in the WHO African Region. The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 58 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key ongoing events, including:
• Cholera in Zimbabwe
• Lassa fever in Liberia
• Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Namibia
• Cholera in Uganda
• Humanitarian crisis in Niger
• Humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia
For each of these events, a brief description followed by public health measures implemented and an interpretation of the situation is provided.
A table is given at the end of the bulletin with information on all new and ongoing public health events currently being monitored in the region, as well as events that have recently been closed.
Major issues and challenges include:
• Two haemorrhagic fever outbreaks are reported this week, both of which are persistent problems in their respective countries. This emphasises the importance of a One Health approach to surveillance and response in countries with endemic diseases with an animal host population or reservoir.
• Cholera remains an ongoing issue in many countries in the region. This week we report on a newly declared cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, who declared their most recent outbreak over only three weeks ago. We also report on an outbreak in Uganda where targeting WASH and risk communication activities appears to be effective. However the prevailing risk factors in both countries emphasise the need for a regional approach to this persistent disease.
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