NAIROBI, Sept. 20 — The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Thursday urged governments of African countries to implement strong measures to address emerging infectious diseases affecting the continent’s population. Judith Kose, regional program lead for the Eastern Africa Regional Coordinating Center of Africa CDC, said that the recurrence of disease outbreaks calls for enhanced surveillance and response efforts to prevent public health crises. “The countries in the region need to strengthen partnerships and share knowledge on public health emergencies such as mpox,” Kose said in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. She said that the current mpox outbreak underscores the urgent need for health security measures to protect populations, adding that Africa CDC has revitalized its surveillance systems to prevent future crises. Early warning systems have been critical in improving disease detection and reporting, enabling quicker responses to outbreaks such as Ebola, Marburg, cholera and mpox, Kose added. Mary Muriuki, principal secretary in Kenya’s Ministry of Health, expressed concern over the continued vulnerability of African nations to emerging infectious diseases. She said that major outbreaks, such as Ebola in West Africa, have severely disrupted healthcare services and economic development. Muriuki reiterated Kenya’s commitment to strengthening its health system by improving healthcare quality, expanding infrastructure, and ensuring facilities are well-equipped and adequately staffed.
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