The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says the continent recorded fewer disease outbreaks in January 2026 compared to the same period in 2025.

It, however, expressed dismay that mpox and cholera continue to pose significant public health threats.

Yap Boum II, deputy incident manager for mpox at the Africa CDC Incident Management Support Team, disclosed this on Friday.

He was speaking at the weekly high-level regional press briefing, noting that mpox remains active in several countries across the continent.

Mr Boum said that while progress had been made in reducing the number of outbreaks, transmission of mpox had not ended despite the lifting of its public health emergency status.

According to him, six African countries currently account for about 91 per cent of reported Mpox cases, underscoring the need for sustained surveillance and response efforts.

“Mpox is not over. The emergency status was lifted, but transmission continues, and countries must remain vigilant,” he said.

Regarding cholera, he noted that 11 African countries were currently affected, with Nigeria among those contributing significantly to the disease burden.

He said cross-border movements had continued to fuel cholera transmission, citing the interconnected outbreaks reported in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Zambia.

He, however, commended Kenya for successfully declaring an end to its cholera outbreak after months of coordinated public health response.

He said the agency would continue to work with affected countries to strengthen surveillance, risk communication and cross-border collaboration to prevent further spread of the diseases.

(NAN)