Disease Outbreak

UN Launches $11.2M Appeal for Uganda’s Ebola Response

The United Nations has issued an emergency appeal to raise $11.2 million to support Uganda’s efforts in combating an Ebola outbreak that has claimed two lives says Reuters. Uganda declared the outbreak in January after a male nurse died at the country’s only national referral hospital in Kampala. The response has been further strained by U.S. foreign aid cuts, impacting the country’s health budget.

5 March, 2025 52

Africa

WHO Investigates Mysterious Illness in DR Congo

Reuters reports indicate that the World Health Organization is investigating two outbreaks of an unknown illness in northwest Democratic Republic of Congo, which have resulted in over 50 deaths in recent weeks. As of February 16, there have been 431 reported cases and 53 fatalities in remote villages across two health zones in Equateur province, according to a WHO bulletin.

26 February, 2025 29

South Africa

SA Government Says KwaZulu-Natal Outbreak Not Linked to School Virus

S.A's Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen has reassured the public that the foot and mouth disease spreading in KwaZulu-Natal does not affect humans and is unrelated to the virus impacting schools. Speaking to the media, Steenhuisen confirmed that red meat remains safe to eat but stresses the urgency of controlling the outbreak, as it threatens South Africa’s export potential, particularly in Asian markets:

22 February, 2025 56

Namibia

Agriculture Ministry responds to “lung sickness” outbreak in Okapundja

An outbreak of Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia commonly known as “lung sickness” has been detected at Okapundja village, 51 km east of Opuwo. Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform, spokesperson, Jona Musheko, has more. Musheko explains the measures instituted by the Directorate of Veterinary Services to control the outbreak.

24 July, 2024 49

Africa

Researchers urgently call for action against the DRC’s new Mpox strain

Scientists have identified a new strain of the mpox virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo that spreads rapidly among humans. The researchers are calling for swift action to avert another global mpox outbreak. The disease previously known as monkeypox was reported in several countries in Europe and North America in 2022. Chris Ocamringa has more from Kinshasa.

18 April, 2024 123

Africa

Nigeria investigates mysterious disease

Health authorities in Nigeria have launched an investigation following the outbreak of a strange illness in the country's northwest state of Sokoto.

10 April, 2024 91

Africa

Cholera vaccine push underway in southern Africa

The World Health Organization has warned that cholera cases are increasing globally, and there’s been an unprecedented spike in Africa. Dr. Fiona Braka from WHO’s regional office in Brazzaville, Congo, said that eastern and southern Africa have been badly affected. In just the first four weeks of the year, 10 African countries reported more than 26,000 cases and 700 deaths.

7 February, 2024 72

Africa

Uganda investigates unidentified illness

Ugandan health authorities are investigating an unidentified disease outbreak that has killed at least 12 people in a span of two weeks in Kyotera district in the central region. The BBC reports that affected patients had rashes on the skin which kept widening, before dying in a matter of days while some had swollen limbs. The country’s Ministry of Health has collected fresh samples but the findings are yet to […]

22 November, 2023 16