Africa has witnessed a significant rise in public health emergencies, with cases surging from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024, underscoring the continent’s growing vulnerability to disease outbreaks. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have officially launched the African Epidemic Fund, a financing mechanism designed to enhance outbreak preparedness and response.
According to a statement on Tuesday, the fund will enable Africa CDC to swiftly provide financial support to countries battling disease outbreaks, bypassing bureaucratic delays that often slow emergency response efforts.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC, hailed the initiative as a turning point in Africa’s public health landscape.
The fund was established following the High-Level Meeting on Domestic Health Financing, a joint effort by Africa CDC, the African Union Commission, and AUDA-NEPAD. It comes at a time when the continent is grappling with multiple health emergencies, including a Marburg virus outbreak in Tanzania, Ebola cases in Uganda, and rising cholera and febrile illness cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Additionally, the mpox outbreak remains a concern six months after Africa CDC declared it a health emergency of continental significance. In February, Africa CDC’s Emergency Consultative Group reaffirmed the need to maintain the outbreak’s emergency status due to the emergence of a highly transmissible new variant and persistent vaccine shortages.
Dr. Kaseya emphasized that the African Epidemic Fund grants Africa CDC increased autonomy in responding to health crises.
To ensure accountability, the fund will be directly managed by Africa CDC under the oversight of a governing board, with regular reports submitted to AU policy organs. The organization has also committed to full transparency, making real-time financial data publicly available on its website.
Kaseya stressed that Africa must develop self-sustaining financial resources to tackle health crises, especially given the rising number of public health events.
The mpox response, in particular, has been hindered by the suspension of U.S. government aid, which disrupted key outbreak control measures, including sample collection and shipment.
Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, Head of the Mpox Incident Support Team at Africa CDC, described the current phase of the outbreak response as intensification.
“In the next three months, our focus will be on containing the outbreak. The following three months will shift toward early recovery and resilience-building,” Ngongo said.
Africa CDC, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other partners, plans to strengthen surveillance systems, scale up vaccination campaigns, and expand laboratory capacity to curb the spread of mpox and other public health threats.
