This Weekly Bulletin focuses on public health emergencies occurring in the WHO African region. This week’s articles cover:

Cholera in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Measles in South Africa

Monkeypox in the WHO African Region

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 provided 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 recent events that have been controlled and closed.

Major issues and challenges include:

The resurgence of armed conflicts in North-Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in March 2022 has resulted in a massive influx of internally displaced populations (IDPs) in Nyiragongo and Karisimbi health zones, leading to an outbreak of cholera. The outbreak is mostly located in IDP camps which are faced with challenges including, overcrowding, poor hygiene and sanitation conditions, and very limited access to drinking water, latrines and basic health services. In addition, infection prevention and control (IPC) and management kits are insufficient to cover the increasing needs, and the bed capacity remains low. Furthermore, the global shortage in case management kits and oral cholera vaccines could hamper quick and efficient containment of this outbreak.

Although the ongoing measles outbreak in South Africa is seeing a declining trend, outbreak response efforts need to continue. The fall in the number of confirmed cases could be due to poor health seeking behaviour of the communities. Strengthening routine immunisation is paramount in prevention of future outbreaks.

Source: World Health Organization