ABSTRACT
On August 21, 2022, healthcare authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in North Kivu Province, bringing the total to 15 outbreaks nationwide. On September 20, 2022, Uganda's authorities declared an outbreak of the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus following a confirmed a case in Mubende district. As of October 6, 2022, the reported numbers of cases were 63, with 29 deaths in Uganda and 1 case with 1 death in DRC, respectively. Ebola virus causes an acute and severely fatal illness, resulting in death within a very short time if left untreated. In addition, these outbreaks in DRC and Uganda pose a major threat to the health and socioeconomic well-being of the people of East Africa due to multiple cross-border activities. Adequate preparations need to be made by the healthcare authorities of the nations concerned; the government, healthcare workers, and the East-African community as a whole have important roles to play in the effective prevention and control of the spread of Ebola virus within and across their borders.
ABSTRACT
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the number cases of Measles have spiked by 400%, some of the countries affected being Ethiopia, Somalia and Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is due to the emergence of COVID-19 which has disrupted the global fight against Measles by impairing the routine immunization programs. This has led to suspension of the measles vaccination drive, where about 23 million children missed out on all basic childhood vaccines including Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the efforts to conduct mass immunization campaign for Measles in some countries, there is a need to build stronger health systems that would provide education to promote awareness and commitment to routine Measles vaccination and provide Vitamin A supplements to boost immunity.
