Are we standing at the door of an epidemic? 200 diseases have affected Africa alone

Last updated:January 18, 2025, 2:58 pm IST

The fear of epidemic persists since Corona. Recently the APMPV virus shocked people. Now a news is coming, last year there was an outbreak of more than 200 diseases in Africa. Thousands of people died in this.

200 diseases will create havoc in Africa in 2024.

Epidemic Alert: After Corona, the whole world remains in fear due to new diseases. Recently, HMPV virus created fear among the people. Recently, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has issued a report expressing concern over the health emergency across the continent. He told that last year the continent was in the grip of more than 200 diseases.

According to the report of Xinhua news agency, Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya held an online briefing regarding the Mpox outbreak and other health crises. He said that there is a need to take immediate concrete steps to deal with the rapidly increasing public emergency. Kaseya said, ‘The number of diseases in 2024 was 213, which is more than in 2023. Whereas in 2023 this number was 166. He expressed hope that 2025 will be better than last year.

5 major diseases
Africa CDC chief told about the top five diseases of 2024. According to him, cholera, measles, dengue, mumps and diphtheria are the five diseases which troubled this continent a lot. Cholera is considered the leading cause of death in Africa. The African continent reported about 204,115 cholera cases last year, of which 3,747 died. There were 234,320 cases of measles in 2024, of which 3,220 died.

1300 died in 21 African countries
According to data from the African Union’s specialized health services agency, 77,888 cases of mpox were reported in 21 African countries by early 2024, resulting in 1,321 deaths. Citing climate change, urbanization and other things, Kaseya stressed on giving importance to public health emergencies.

Vaccine and medical equipment necessary
The Africa CDC chief also called for significant investment in laboratory infrastructure, critical public health facilities, and local vaccine and medical device production. He stressed the need to boost the continent’s public health workforce and improve genomic sequencing for priority diseases. Kaseya said, ‘We are keeping a close watch on the diseases in Africa.’