Disease outbreaks and efforts to strengthen health services marked the week’s health news across African countries. Africa CDC cautioned against declaring that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo had peaked, while Senegal reported rising diphtheria cases and WHO released new mpox figures. Ethiopia secured WHO classification for an emergency medical team, Nigeria launched a maternal and newborn health initiative, and the U.N. Economic Commission for Africa created a panel on health financing. This edition also covers HIV prevention, dementia care and talks in Lomé on diagnostics and universal health coverage.

Ebola in DRC Remains Serious Despite Signs of a Slowdown

Africa CDC, the African Union’s public health agency, said on September 17, 2026, that the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo remained serious and continued to spread despite response efforts by the government and its partners.

That contrasts with a more optimistic assessment by the government response team, which said on September 10 that the outbreak had passed its peak.

Africa CDC said some areas, including Ituri, were seeing a decline in cases, but available data were not yet sufficient to confirm that the overall peak had passed. The agency also cited persistent gaps in infection prevention and control at several treatment centers.

The outbreak now spans seven provinces, including Sud-Ubangi, which reported an imported case on September 10. The affected area covers about 240,000 square kilometers, roughly the size of the United Kingdom. The latest reported figures were nearly 7,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,300 deaths.

Africa CDC said it was continuing to work with WHO and other partners to support the government, strengthen the response and bring transmission under control.

Eleven Countries Report 1,153 Mpox Cases Over Six Weeks

Eleven African countries recorded 1,153 confirmed mpox cases and seven deaths between July 6 and August 16, 2026, according to a WHO report published September 15.

Madagascar accounted for most of the cases, with 785, followed by Angola, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon.

WHO said the actual totals were probably higher because of reporting delays and reduced surveillance capacity in several countries. Mpox transmission has continued despite Africa CDC’s decision in June to lift its highest continental emergency designation.

Diphtheria Cases Rise in Senegal

Senegal had recorded 76 diphtheria cases and nine deaths across 24 health districts in 11 regions as of September 13, according to the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene. Five days earlier, the totals stood at 57 cases and eight deaths.

Kédougou remained the main hotspot with 28 cases, followed by Dakar with 12, Thiès with 10 and Louga with nine.

Authorities have reminded the public that the bacterial infection spreads through respiratory droplets and can be prevented through vaccination. They have urged parents to check that their children’s vaccinations are up to date and arrange for them to receive any missed doses.

The outbreak is straining disease surveillance, vaccination programs and treatment services as Senegal strengthens its response.

Nigeria Trains Health Workers to Expand PrEP Access

Nigeria is training health workers to expand HIV prevention through pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

In May, the National AIDS, Viral Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Control Programme trained 80 health workers from 32 states and the Federal Capital Territory as part of a national train-the-trainer program. The goal is to integrate PrEP more widely into routine care and improve access for people at risk of acquiring HIV. According to WHO, about 1.9 million people are living with HIV in Nigeria. The country is also preparing to introduce new long-acting PrEP options to expand coverage and make it easier for people to use PrEP consistently.

Ethiopia Gains WHO Classification as Five Countries Plan Emergency Teams

On September 15, 2026, Ethiopia became the first country in the WHO African Region to receive WHO classification for a national civilian emergency medical team.

The assessment covered governance, clinical care, logistics, infection prevention, water and sanitation, and operational capacity. Ethiopia joins a small group of countries with certified teams that can be deployed during outbreaks, disasters and other emergencies.

Meanwhile, five Portuguese-speaking African countries, Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe, developed national plans this week to establish or strengthen their own emergency medical teams.

These developments follow the adoption of a continental plan by African health ministers in Addis Ababa in early September to improve the availability and coordination of emergency medical teams. The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has highlighted shortages of trained responders, underscoring the need for such teams.

ECA Creates Panel to Reduce Reliance on External Health Financing

The U.N. Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) launched a high-level advisory panel on health financing in Addis Ababa on September 17, 2026.

The initiative is intended to help African countries reduce their reliance on external financing and increase domestic health funding, including through taxation, public budgets and regional mechanisms.

The panel’s launch comes amid a decline in international health aid documented by WHO on August 24 at the 76th session of its Regional Committee for Africa. According to the organization, lifesaving programs in several countries collapsed almost overnight.

A survey by WHO’s Regional Office for Africa, covering 44 of the region’s 47 countries, also found uneven progress on patient safety. It identified major gaps in information systems, staffing and patient participation as the burden of noncommunicable diseases grows.

Dementia Poses a Growing Health and Economic Burden in Africa

Ten African countries took part in a regional workshop in Nairobi from September 14 to 16 aimed at improving dementia prevention and diagnosis and integrating dementia care into primary health services.

According to WHO, about 1.9 million people are currently living with dementia in the African Region. The annual economic cost is estimated at $15.6 billion, while family caregivers spend substantial time caring for relatives with dementia.

Dementia remains widely underdiagnosed and receives limited attention in health policies. The participating countries were Cabo Verde, Comoros, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Nigeria Launches MAMII as 97% of Surveyed Centers Face Staffing Gaps

The Nigerian government launched the Maternal and Newborn Health Initiative Incentives (MAMII) on September 14, 2026. The incentive program is designed to encourage greater use of maternal and newborn health services.

MAMII covers 172 local government areas in 33 states and aims to reduce maternal mortality by 30% and newborn mortality by 20% in those areas by 2028.

The initiative comes amid chronic staffing shortages at frontline health facilities. According to a report published September 14 covering 277 local government areas in 16 states, 97% of the primary health care centers assessed did not meet national staffing standards.

Lomé Hosts 16 African Countries for Health Coverage and Diagnostics Talks

Lomé hosted a three-day technical meeting on universal health coverage from September 16 to 18, 2026.

The meeting brought together laboratory and diagnostics officials from 16 African countries to discuss universal health coverage policies, technological solutions and ways to expand access to essential health services by 2030.

Separately, the West African Medical Laboratory Scientists Federation (WAMLSS) held its conference in Lomé on September 17. Participants examined challenges posed by outbreaks and gaps in diagnostic capacity, including lessons from the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi