In the second quarter of 2024, the Regional Office’s Emergency Response Programme (EMR) led coordinated health interventions across multiple acute and protracted emergencies, including two newly graded crises and several ungraded events. As of the end of June, WHO was actively monitoring 163 events (134 outbreaks and 29 humanitarian events) in the African Region. Of these, 19 were graded public health emergencies.

In the first quarter of 2024, the WHO African Region faced multiple health emergencies that tested the resilience and rapid response capabilities of health systems. As of 30 March 2024, WHO was actively monitoring 105 outbreaks and 29 humanitarian events in the African Region.

The Epidemic Intelligence from Open Sources (EIOS) initiative is a cornerstone in strengthening public health intelligence. It brings together various networks and systems to create a unified, all-hazards One Health approach to early detection, verification, assessment and communication of public health threats using publicly available information.

The EPR-TAG is an independent advisory body to WHO/AFRO, offering strategic guidance on health emergency preparedness, detection, and response. During its inaugural meeting in Saly, Senegal (16-18 July 2024), the TAG generated recommendations endorsed by the Regional Director. Recommendations span five priority areas:

Mpox has been neglected in Central and Western Africa since the 1970s. Insufficient global investment in research, surveillance, and countermeasures has exacerbated the current growing outbreak.

The World Health Organization African Region (WHO AFRO) carries the highest burden of public health emergencies globally, with more than 100 events occurring annually.

The World Health Organization African Region (WHO AFRO) carries the highest burden of public health emergencies globally, with more than 100 events occurring annually.

The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO), in accordance with recommendations from various WHO committees, has developed three flagship initiatives to support Member States in the African region to prepare for, detect and respond to public health emergencies.

Emergency medical teams (EMT) are first response health care providers – doctors, nurses, paramedics, and others – during outbreaks and emergencies or disasters, working with governments, charities such as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), armies, and international organizations such as the International Red Cross/Red Crescent movement.

The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO), in accordance with recommendations from various WHO committees, has developed three flagship initiatives to support Member States in the African region to prepare for, detect and respond to public health emergencies.