Attachments
This Weekly Bulletin focuses on public health emergencies occurring in the WHO African region. This week’s articles cover:
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Humanitarian situation in Chad
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Diphtheria in South Africa
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Measles in Cameroon
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:
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An outbreak of diphtheria has been reported in a correctional facility in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Although the outbreak appears to be under control as a result of immediate public health measures, the occurrence of the disease in a closed and accesslimited setting could contribute to amplifying transmission and hindering the response, particularly case and contact isolation. Tailored planning from health authorities is required to address specific challenges posed by the confined and access-controlled environment.
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Measles is endemic in Cameroon, with outbreaks occurring almost every year affecting several health districts. After the covid-19 pandemic, there has been a relative decrease in attendance at healthcare facilities for routine vaccination activities, negatively impacting the achievement of indicators related to vaccination coverage rates. The ongoing outbreak wave started earlier this year and shares similar characteristics with the previous year’s outbreaks. Notably, positive cases of measles are being recorded among non-vaccinated individuals, and there is a low rate of local response activities implementation in the affected districts. Additionally, Cameroon is facing other disease outbreaks including Cholera, Mpox, Polio vaccine derived and Covid-19, emphasizing the need for health authorities to enhance public health interventions, such as vaccination, public awareness, and the provision of adequate resources to control the outbreaks.