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Unlocking the power of molecular and genomics tools to enhance cholera surveillance in Africa

Nature Medicine volume 29, pages 2387–2388 (2023)Cite this article

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Critical components of the global roadmap and national action plan to control and eliminate cholera include strengthening of early detection, integrated surveillance systems and rapid response mechanisms1. Several African countries continue to report widespread, protracted and severe cholera outbreaks. As of March 2023, 14 Member States of the African Union, of which the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is a public health agency, were reporting active outbreaks across Southern Africa (Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa), Eastern Africa (Tanzania, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan)), Central Africa (Burundi, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Western Africa (Nigeria)2,3. These outbreaks are occurring against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely affected the preventive and control measures used against cholera, as well as severe cyclones that have disrupted critical public infrastructure and health services, especially in Mozambique and Malawi in southern Africa.

Malawi has been experiencing one of the largest and most deadly cholera outbreaks in its history since February 2022, with more than 54,000 cases and over 1,684 reported deaths3,4, and Mozambique has also seen a surge in cholera cases in an outbreak that started in September 2022, with more than 10,000 cases and 75 deaths reported from 42 districts in eight provinces. The situation has been exacerbated by heavy rains and the impact of cyclones, posing a significant threat to public health3,4. In Nigeria, there was a notable surge in cholera cases from October 2020 to October 2021, with a total of 93,598 reported cases and a case fatality rate of 3.5%. The outbreak spread across 33 of the country’s 37 federal states5.

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References

  1. Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC). https://www.gtfcc.org/about-cholera/roadmap-2030/ (2023).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    Collins Kipngetich Tanui, Sofonias Kifle Tessema, Merawi Aragaw Tegegne, Yenew Kebede Tebeje & Jean Kaseya

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  1. Collins Kipngetich Tanui
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  2. Sofonias Kifle Tessema
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  3. Merawi Aragaw Tegegne
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  4. Yenew Kebede Tebeje
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  5. Jean Kaseya
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Correspondence to Sofonias Kifle Tessema.

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Tanui, C.K., Tessema, S.K., Tegegne, M.A. et al. Unlocking the power of molecular and genomics tools to enhance cholera surveillance in Africa. Nat Med 29, 2387–2388 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02492-4

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