Ebola, mpox, diphtheria and cross-border disease surveillance featured prominently in health news across Africa this week. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak surpassed 3,000 deaths and 6,250 confirmed cases, while anonymized mobile phone data were deployed to help identify areas at risk. In Addis Ababa, 13 countries signed a cross-border cooperation agreement on health emergencies. Africa CDC was chosen to represent regional health organizations in talks on reforming global health governance, while a global mpox vaccine stockpile was launched and diphtheria affected 29 local government areas in Nigeria’s Katsina State.

DRC Ebola: More Than 3,000 Dead as Mobile Data Help Anticipate Spread

More than 3,000 people have now died in the Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As of September 3, the official toll published by the Congolese National Institute of Public Health, INSP, stood at 6,186 confirmed cases, 3,007 deaths, 1,409 recoveries and 830 patients receiving treatment. The case-fatality rate was 48.6%.

WHO said more than 6,250 cases and 3,039 deaths had been recorded as of the same date across the six affected provinces, with 60 health zones now reporting cases. The agency described the outbreak as “the fastest ever recorded” in the history of Ebola epidemics.

Funding

The United Nations, through its humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher, said the government’s six-month response plan requires $1.3 billion, out of an overall $2.1 billion requirement under the revised 2026 Humanitarian Response Plan, including $300 million for Ebola-related activities.

More than $1 billion has already been mobilized. The U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund, CERF, has allocated more than $57 million to the response in the DRC and neighboring countries.

Tracking the Disease Through Mobile Phone Data

For the first time in an Ebola response, anonymized mobile phone data are being used to map population movements and identify areas most likely to record new cases.

The approach is being implemented by WHO and partner researchers, including the Flowminder Foundation, using data provided by Vodacom Congo.

By mapping movements from the hardest-hit areas of Ituri to other parts of the country, the tool helps direct surveillance resources toward areas facing the highest risk, as the mobility of mining and trading communities contributes to the spread of the virus.

Thirteen African Countries Sign Cross-Border Cooperation Agreement

On the sidelines of the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, RC76, held in Addis Ababa from August 24 to 28, 2026, 13 African countries signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at institutionalizing cooperation on cross-border health emergencies.

Signatories include Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Angola and Tanzania. The agreement covers health-data sharing, disease prevention, coordination of medical supplies and early outbreak detection, including before an outbreak is formally declared.

Tseganeh Amsalu, a lead health specialist at the World Bank and a member of the Ethiopian delegation, said the agreement was intended to “institutionalize cooperation before outbreaks occur.” The Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak has underscored the importance of cross-border coordination, as transmission involving the DRC, Uganda and South Sudan has complicated containment efforts.

Mpox: Global Vaccine Stockpile Set to Become Operational in September

A global mpox vaccine stockpile, for the disease formerly known as monkeypox, was launched on August 27, 2026. The stockpile will be available to countries worldwide and is expected to become operational by the end of September. Approved by the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in 2025, it is funded by Gavi and coordinated by the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision, ICG, which brings together WHO, UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and MSF.

The initiative builds on the access and allocation mechanism established in 2024 during the most recent public health emergency of international concern linked to mpox. It is intended to ensure rapid and equitable access to vaccines regardless of an affected country’s ability to pay. Between January 1, 2022, and July 31, 2026, 145 countries and territories reported 190,683 confirmed mpox cases and 529 deaths. Two-thirds of the cases were concentrated in the African region.

“During the 2022 mpox outbreak, low-income countries were left behind in access to vaccines,” Gavi Chief Executive Sania Nishtar said, underscoring the need for the mechanism.

Animal-to-human transmission continues to occur in some parts of Africa, sustaining the risk of new outbreaks.

Nigeria: Diphtheria Affects 29 Local Government Areas in Katsina State

In Nigeria, a diphtheria outbreak is affecting 29 local government areas in the northwestern state of Katsina. Two deaths have also been confirmed in neighboring Kano State.

The federal government has established a multi-agency emergency task force bringing together the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, NCDC, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, affected states and international partners including WHO and UNICEF.

The NPHCDA has deployed 500,000 doses of diphtheria vaccine to Katsina and Kano as part of the emergency response. In Katsina State alone, an emergency vaccination campaign launched on August 25, 2026, had vaccinated 150,346 people in five days across 15 high-risk areas. Of those, 99,036 people received the Td vaccine against tetanus and diphtheria, while 51,310 children received the pentavalent vaccine.

The state has also secured an additional 650,000 doses to extend protection to at-risk communities. Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease, but it can cause severe breathing difficulties, paralysis and heart complications. In Nigeria, 2 million children have not received a single vaccine dose, according to UNICEF, leaving pockets of the population unprotected in northern states.

Africa CDC Selected to Represent Regional Organizations in Global Health Governance Reform

Africa CDC, the African Union’s public health agency, has been selected to represent regional health organizations on the Task Force on Global Health Architecture Reform. The move is expected to give African regional institutions a stronger voice in international discussions on health governance and financing as international development assistance for health declines and pressure grows to reform multilateral financing mechanisms. The pan-African organization advocates greater self-reliance for African health systems and less dependence on external financing.

Ayi Renaud Dossavi