The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has released its Weekly Brief for the period of 15 to 19 April 2025, outlining key developments in public health surveillance, outbreak response, and continental collaboration. This week’s highlights focus on the intensification of cholera response measures across several regions, significant progress in genomic surveillance capacity, and ongoing preparedness for infectious disease threats including Mpox, Ebola, and COVID-19 variants.
Cholera continues to pose a major threat to several African countries, with new cases reported in Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The Africa CDC reports more than 4,500 new suspected cases and 89 deaths across the region this week alone, raising serious concerns about access to clean water, sanitation, and rapid response logistics.
In collaboration with national Ministries of Health and international partners such as WHO and UNICEF, Africa CDC is supporting the deployment of emergency health teams, oral rehydration supplies, and mobile laboratories. Cholera Treatment Units (CTUs) are being rapidly expanded in high-burden districts. The Africa CDC’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) remains on high alert.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, stated: The scale of cholera outbreaks demands not only emergency interventions but also long-term infrastructure investment. Our teams are on the ground, but we need stronger cross-border coordination and sustainable water and sanitation systems to end these recurrent crises.
This week, Africa CDC celebrated a major milestone in its Pathogen Genomics Initiative, with five new laboratories in West Africa being equipped with advanced sequencing tools and trained personnel. These upgrades aim to enhance real-time monitoring of infectious disease variants, antimicrobial resistance, and emerging pathogens.
In addition, the Africa CDC launched its first Continental Genomics Data Platform, allowing national public health institutes to share and analyze sequencing data securely. This platform is expected to play a key role in tracking variants of SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, Lassa fever, and Mpox.
COVID-19 cases remain low across most of the continent, but the Africa CDC continues to monitor new Omicron sub-variants detected in parts of Europe and Asia. Member states are encouraged to maintain testing capacity and report genomic data for early detection of potential resurgences.
Booster vaccination campaigns are underway in 12 countries, with a focus on high-risk populations, healthcare workers, and the elderly. Africa CDC is supporting these campaigns with vaccine deployment guidance, cold chain assessments, and public communication toolkits.
Africa CDC is closely monitoring Mpox outbreaks in Central and West Africa, with cases reported in Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic. The organization has deployed rapid response teams and is working to ensure timely diagnosis and contact tracing.
Efforts to combat Ebola and Marburg virus are continuing, with no new confirmed outbreaks this week. However, active surveillance and community education programs remain in place in previous hot zones, particularly in Uganda and Equatorial Guinea.
Over the past week, Africa CDC conducted regional training workshops in Rwanda and Côte d’Ivoire on One Health disease surveillance, outbreak logistics, and data management. More than 200 public health professionals were trained, reinforcing national capacity to detect and respond to public health emergencies.
Africa CDC in Numbers (15–19 April 2025)
Cholera cases reported: 4,529
COVID-19 booster doses administered: 312,000
Genomic samples sequenced
Health workers trained
Cross-border coordination missions:
Emergency response teams deployed:
In the coming weeks, Africa CDC will host a High-Level Ministerial Meeting on Cross-Border Health Security in Nairobi, focusing on regional health threats, data harmonization, and emergency preparedness. Additionally, the agency will publish its 2024 Annual Report, highlighting achievements, challenges, and strategic plans for 2025–2026.
Africa CDC continues to urge all African Union Member States to remain vigilant, share timely data, and collaborate across borders to protect public health and build resilient health systems.
