The Director General of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Dr. Jean Kaseya, has issued a stark warning about the critical shortage of field and frontline epidemiologists in Africa, News About Nigeria reports.
Speaking at the ongoing 2023 Conference on Public Health in Africa, Kaseya revealed that there are only 6,900 epidemiologists serving the estimated 1.4 billion Africans.
Highlighting the alarming frequency of disease outbreaks on the continent, Kaseya stated that Africa records at least two new outbreaks per week, totalling more than 100 outbreaks annually.
Notably, 75% of these outbreaks have zoonotic origins, exacerbated by the adverse effects of climate change.
Epidemiologists play a crucial role in investigating the patterns, causes, and effects of diseases in populations.
They are instrumental in determining the source of disease outbreaks, how they spread, and strategies to prevent further occurrences.
According to current estimates by Worldometer, Africa’s population stands at 1,474,406,856 as of November 27, 2023.
“As I speak, we have 18 countries affected by cholera, resulting in more than 4,000 deaths. Multiple West African countries are grappling with the impact of dengue.
“The recent flooding in several countries, including Libya, and the earthquake in Morocco, along with other natural disasters, underscores the link between climate change and health in Africa,” Kaseya said.
He said that Africa loses 5-15% of its GDP annually due to the impacts of climate change.
In response, Africa CDC says it is committed to supporting African countries in adopting a comprehensive One-Health approach to address climate-related health challenges.
Kaseya highlighted the critical shortage of skilled health workers, revealing that less than 10% of African countries can respond adequately to a major outbreak.
To address this gap, Africa CDC has introduced programs like the Africa Volunteers Health Corps, Kofi Annan, and the Field Epidemiology Training Program.
Furthermore, Kaseya expressed concerns about the heavy reliance on imports for essential healthcare products.
Currently, less than 1% of vaccines, 5% of diagnostics, and 30% of therapeutics used in Africa are manufactured within the continent.
To address this, Africa CDC advocates for an ambitious agenda aiming to ensure that, by 2040, a minimum of 60% of vaccines and medicines used in Africa are locally manufactured.
“As I have to say it, local manufacturing is the second independence of Africa, because it will mitigate our reliance on external sources, build our health security, promote local innovation, and lead to job creation, economic growth, peace, and security,” he added.
