The tariffs imposed by the United States on goods from several African countries on Wednesday will make it even more difficult for African countries to increase their health spending, said Dr Jean Kaseya, Director General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). These tariffs – ranging from 10% for Kenyan goods […] Continue reading ->
Two to four million additional Africans are likely to die annually as a result of the shock aid cuts by the United States and other key donors, according to Dr Jean Kaseya, who heads the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Kaseya heads to Washington next week to coincide with the end of US […] Continue reading ->
Only 17% of suspected mpox tests in the the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had been tested in the past week – a drop of almost 10%, Dr Ngashi Ngongo, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) lead on mpox, told a media briefing on Thursday. Only seven of the DRC’s 26 […] Continue reading ->
KIGALI, Rwanda – Behind blue scaffolding walls marked “China Aid for shared future”, a massive expansion of Masaka District Hospital is underway. The hospital will expand from 330 to at least 830 beds, and it is destined to become the country’s top teaching hospital, with completion set for July. China has provided a $42 million […] Continue reading ->
As Africa battles a relentless mpox outbreak, a sudden freeze in United States foreign aid is crippling containment efforts, threatening vaccine distribution, and leaving the hardest-hit regions scrambling for solutions, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned on Thursday. In conflict-ridden Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the epicentre of the outbreak, […] Continue reading ->
A new mpox outbreak in Sierra Leone and a rising case toll across Africa are fueling urgent calls for stronger containment efforts, even as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) finally speeds up its mpox vaccine drive and Rwanda’s swift response to Marburg suggests a model for epidemic control. Health authorities in Sierra Leone have […] Continue reading ->
The US should lift its Marburg-related entry restrictions on people travelling from Rwanda as they are “killing” that country’s economy, according to Dr Jean Kaseya. The US requires people who have visited Rwanda in the past 21 days to fly to one of only three airports for health screening. “Now that we are out of […] Continue reading ->
After a full week of no new Marburg cases, Rwanda appears to have contained one of the biggest recorded of the deadly virus outbreaks – and with a low case fatality rate of 24%. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who visited the country over the weekend, praised the level of Rwanda’s […] Continue reading ->
The Africa CDC has slammed the US government’s recent Level 3 travel advisory for Rwanda as unfair and baseless, arguing it undermines Rwanda’s proactive efforts to contain a Marburg outbreak. With rapid testing, vaccinations, and coordinated emergency response measures in place, Rwanda’s leaders insist the country poses no international threat and warn that travel restrictions […] Continue reading ->
Bavarian Nordic’s MVA-BN vaccine, has become the first mpox vaccine to be added to the World Health Organization (WHO) prequalification (PQ) list, enabling its use globally. The WHO has also recommended that single doses be given in supply-constrained outbreak situations instead of the usual two doses, and “off label” use for children as the vaccine […] Continue reading ->