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This Weekly Bulletin focuses on public health emergencies occurring in the WHO African region. This week’s articles cover:
- Measles in Ethiopia - Cholera in Tanzania - Humanitarian situation in South Sudan
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:
Since August 2021, Ethiopia has been grappling with a measles outbreak with a sharp increase in cases in December 2022. Children under five years were the most affected due to suboptimal vaccination coverage in the country. In December 2022, a nationwide campaign was conducted to control the outbreak and currently a downward trend has been observed. The protracted outbreak in Ethiopia emphasises the importance of strengthening surveillance systems to detect and control outbreaks and maintaining high vaccination coverage.
The United Republic of Tanzania confirmed a cholera outbreak in in July 2023, and as of 3 October 2023, all three affected regions including Arusha, Kigoma, and Mara are still active. Poor sanitation and hygiene conditions, along with the disruption of water supply networks in the affected regions are the primary factors contributing to the persistence and spread of this outbreak to new areas. Immediate water, sanitation and hygiene measures, including enhanced monitoring and enforcement of water quality treatment standards, should be reinforced and maintained, particularly in Mara Region, the current hotspot, to effectively control the outbreak.