Africa Records Over 200 Disease Outbreaks in 2024: Cholera Leads the Pack

Africa witnessed unprecedented public health challenges in 2024, with more than 200 reported disease outbreaks on the continent. Cholera, a waterborne bacterial infection, led the pack, causing widespread morbidity and mortality. The scale and severity of these outbreaks necessitated urgent public health interventions and global support.

Cholera's Devastating Impact

The news headline in 2024 revolved around cholera, where it was documented that 235,387 cases were confirmed, suspected, or probable in 20 African Union member states. The disease caused 3,747 deaths, the highest recorded deaths for any outbreak that year. Sudan had the highest cases with over 20,000 and 924 deaths. This was made worse by the current conflict that incapacitated 75% of health facilities in Khartoum.

The situation in Nigeria was also disastrous. Borno state, an area that suffered both the drastic extreme flooding and an active Islamist insurgency, recorded close to 500 cases of Acute Watery Diarrhea and 17 confirmed cholera infections. Some of the efforts to combat the outbreak included distributing some 300,000 doses of oral cholera vaccines and deploying more than 600,000 doses.

However South Africa still experienced cholera outbreak starting from February 2023. Through March 2024, South Africa reported a total of 1,395 cases with the case fatality at 3.4%. From the reports of South Africa, it was established that South Africa outbreak arises from the visitation of visitors who had spent their time in Malawi back to the area of Gauteng.

In the country of Zambia, the same cholera epidemic was rampant. The disease emerged in 15 districts across five provinces of that country including Lusaka being one of the districts. It registered an unusual spurt of new cases and fatalities that led authorities to begin taking public awareness campaigns and chlorine meant for the water source's disinfection,

Zambia National Public Health Institute reported.

There were many reasons why the number of outbreaks in 2024 was so frightening. Conflicts in Sudan and other places crippled the health infrastructure, making it hard to arrest and treat infections. Floods in Nigeria left sanitation facilities overwhelmed and water contaminated with diseases, such as cholera. Poverty and lack of clean water and good healthcare contributed to the spread of such diseases.

Vaccination and International Help

To these crises, international organizations, in conjunction with local governments, played an important role. UNICEF was able to administer 1.4 million doses of oral cholera vaccines with the assistance of WHO and Sudan's health ministry. The immunization program would reach 1.81 million people in the most affected regions of Sudan.

Despite these initiatives, logistical obstacles and continuous outbreaks have not maximally exploited these efforts. Complete vaccination programs and efforts should instead involve investment in the healthcare delivery infrastructure and more efforts in proper sanitation to be implemented.

Conclusion of the way forward

The 2024 outbreaks remind the world that African countries still do not have a readiness plan that can avert health crises. Such crises require a holistic approach, perhaps by enhancing access to clean water, developing health care systems, and building surveillance in terms of early intervention of the disease. International cooperation will certainly be required in preventing future outbreaks. End.

As Africa faces similar challenges, lessons in 2024 need to be able to guide efforts aimed at building resilience and improving better health outcomes for millions of people across the continent.