Researchers have emphasized that Africa is still a long way from developing a full suite of vaccinations and treatments for these high-risk illnesses.
They predict that it may take more than 50 years for the African Continent to have broad access to the medical resources required to effectively combat these diseases, given the current financing and research pace. This is because a lack of funding continues to be a significant obstacle, impeding the creation and dissemination of vital instruments for illness prevention and treatment.
In order to shed light on the origins of these infectious threats, Impact Global Health’s 2024 Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) report divides the most deadly pathogens into six groups: multifiloviruses (like Ebola), multi-arenaviruses, multiple or non-Nipah henipaviruses, multiple bunyaviruses, and a sinister, as-yet-undiscovered category called “Disease X.”
This last group is an unpredictable pathogen that has the potential to cause a serious health emergency.
Disease X: “Disease X” refers to unknown infections that are thought to have the potential to become a pandemic because of their ability to appear and spread quickly, posing a major threat to world health.
Multi-filovirus: Mostly divided into Ebola and Marburg subgroups, the multi-filovirus group includes dangerous viruses. The deadliest variant of the Zaire Ebolavirus caused a significant outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016.
Two other strains of the Ebola virus are still being researched, but other viruses including Sudan, Tai Forest, and Bundibugyo also present significant hazards. Within the Marburg subgroup, the Ravn and Marburg viruses are equally deadly and prone to spread epidemics.
Humans are unintentional hosts for five rodent-borne viruses that belong to the multi-arenaviral category. The Lassa, Junin, Machupo, and Guanarito viruses, which are prevalent in West Africa and some regions of South America, cause hemorrhagic fevers that have a 15% death rate among hospitalized patients. As a result, the local healthcare system is severely strained. The fifth virus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis, can cause neurological problems but usually causes milder infections.
Non-Nipah: Fruit bats have recently given rise to extremely hazardous non-Nipah heptaverines, such as the Nipah and Hendra viruses. These viruses pose a serious concern to public health because they can spread from animals to people, frequently through contact with diseased animals like pigs, goats, horses, dogs, or cats.
Numerous bunyaviruses: Numerous bunyaviruses can cause a range of health problems in people, frequently resulting in fevers and, occasionally, rashes. While Rift Valley fever can result in hemorrhagic hepatitis, encephalitis, or blindness, the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus causes severe bleeding. The Hantaan virus can result in severe bleeding, kidney failure, or lung disease known as Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, while the La Crosse viral and related strains are linked to brain enlargement.
Vaccination can prevent poliomyelitis, also known as polio, a viral infection that affects motor neurons in the central nervous system. Each of the three wild poliovirus (WPV) types—types 1, 2, and 3—requires a different kind of immunity. WPV2 and WPV3 stopped being transmitted globally in 1999 and 2012, respectively.
Although the oral polio vaccine (OPV) contains a weakened virus, if a community does not have adequate antibodies, it may occasionally transform into circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV).
Since 1988, the number of polio cases has decreased by approximately 99 percent as a result of vaccination campaigns, saving over 16 million individuals from paralysis. Nonetheless, new cases have emerged in Nigeria, Somalia, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Polio’s ongoing threat was highlighted in 2014 when the WHO designated its global spread as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Despite some encouraging developments over the years, Nigeria’s polio situation is still dire. More than 99 percent fewer cases of polio have been reported since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) got underway in 1988. But problems still exist, particularly in some parts of the nation.
Outbreaks of vaccine-derived poliovirus, particularly circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), have increased recently in Nigeria. The number of cVDPV2 infections has increased even though the nation was deemed free of wild poliovirus in 2020. This particular virus, which is derived from the oral polio vaccine, is more prevalent in places with poor immunization rates.
Nigeria reported 51 cases of cVDPV2 in six states, including Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kebbi, in 2023. With a 70% decrease of cVDPV2 instances over 2022, this chart demonstrates a notable improvement.
Nigeria initiated widespread immunization initiatives to counteract these outbreaks. In August 2023, a noteworthy campaign was launched to vaccinate more than 2.5 million children, which was the nation’s first usage of fractional inactivated poliovirus vaccines (fIPV).
Reaching at-risk populations is a priority for the Federal Government, the World Health Organization, and other partners, particularly in regions with security issues. To guarantee that vaccines can reach those who need them the most, they are employing creative tactics, such as collaborating with local authorities and security agencies.
The Africa CDC reported 38,300 Mpox cases (7,339 confirmed) and 979 fatalities throughout Africa as of October 11, 2024. Mpox, which was first discovered in 1958 in monkeys, can infect humans by contact with bodily fluids and respiratory droplets, as well as with wild animals like rats.
With mpox primarily spreading in West Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the highest number of cases and fatalities. 98.7% of cases are from the DRC, Burundi, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Uganda. The WHO and the Africa CDC both deemed the outbreak to be a public health emergency.
53 fatalities and 3,186 new cases were reported in the last week, according to African CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya. With 99 percent of Mpox-related deaths this year, Central Africa continues to be the most impacted region. With weekly infections reaching between 2,500 and 3,000—a 300% increase over 2023—the outbreak is not showing any signs of abating.
Nigeria has reported 94 confirmed cases of Mpox this year, up from 78 the year before, as of October 2024. No fatalities have been reported. The Mpox outbreak in Nigeria is a regional problem, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounting for the majority of cases. Although clade II is the predominant virus strain in Nigeria, underreporting is still a concern because of a lack of diagnostic tools.
Nigeria’s health authorities have responded by stepping up surveillance and raising public awareness, teaching people about symptoms and how the disease spreads. With the use of the prequalified MVA-BN vaccine for children aged 12 to 17, they hope to enhance testing and immunization in partnership with WHO. Nigeria is working to improve its diagnostic capabilities in order to combat underreporting and manage the outbreak.
Chikungunya is a virus that is spread by mosquitoes and has no known cure. It was discovered in Tanzania in 1952. Particularly for newborns, it can be rather severe.
Abrupt fever, excruciating joint and muscular pain, headache, rash, and exhaustion are among the symptoms. With symptom-relieving medication, the majority of patients recover in a matter of weeks.
Nigeria’s present chikungunya scenario is worrisome because the number of cases has recently increased there. Over 900 suspected cases were reported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) between January and September 2024, with the majority of infections occurring in states including Ogun, Ekiti, Lagos, and Ondo.
When people come into touch with the blood, bodily fluids, or tissues of infected animals, they can contract Ebola virus disease (EVD), a serious and frequently fatal sickness that starts in wild animals such as fruit bats, porcupines, and monkeys. According to the Africa CDC, it is transferred in humans through contact with contaminated objects, including clothing and bedding, or infected bodily fluids.
West and Central Africa has had significant outbreaks, the biggest of which occurred in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea between 2014 and 2016 and resulted in 28,610 cases and 11,308 fatalities. Another outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) occurred in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri in 2018, resulting in around 2,800 cases and more than 1,800 fatalities.
Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, a field epidemiologist and microbiologist, was called urgently in 1976 to look into an odd sickness in the Democratic Republic of the Congo village of Yambuku. Although the disease was obviously more serious, many people were dying from symptoms that resembled those of typhoid, yellow fever, or malaria.
Dr. Muyembe observed that Belgian nuns who worked in the hamlet, some of whom had received typhoid and yellow fever vaccinations, were also falling ill.
One of the nuns gave him a blood sample, which he sent to Belgium for analysis. The findings were concerning: a virus that causes severe hemorrhagic fever—later dubbed one of the deadliest known infections—was present in the nun’s blood.
According to the WHO, the Zika virus, which is mostly spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, has been found in 16 African nations, including Nigeria, Kenya, and Angola.
Although moderate fever, headache, rash, and joint discomfort are possible, the majority of infected people do not exhibit any symptoms. Symptomatic alleviation is advised, but there is no specific treatment.
If an infected pregnant person contacts Zika, it can result in serious birth abnormalities like microcephaly. Additionally, it is connected to Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can result in paralysis and muscle weakness. Particularly in tropical regions, mosquito management is still essential.
Although the Zika virus is rare in Nigeria, the country is nonetheless at risk because of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is known to carry the infection. Zika is a substantial health risk, especially for pregnant women, as it can cause congenital disorders like microcephaly in babies. Reports of cases have been made, but no significant outbreaks have happened.
The XEC COVID strain was first discovered in Germany in June 2024 and has since spread to 27 nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Canada. In just four months, more than 600 cases have been documented.
Despite vaccination or previous infection, XEC increases the risk of reinfection due to its heightened transmissibility and partial immunological escape, which the WHO has classified as an Omicron sub-variant.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the strain is a mix of the KS.1.1 and KP.3.3 strains, and its increased dissemination is due to mutations.
According to recent statistics, hospitalization rates for COVID-19 have increased to 4.5 per 100,000, with 13% of sequenced cases being XEC.
Similar symptoms to other COVID strains, including as fever, exhaustion, and sore throat, can worsen in high-risk individuals.
Although the XEC strain has not been formally identified in Nigeria, health officials are still on the lookout.
The Ministry of Health emphasizes vaccination as the best defense against serious illness and calls for preventative steps to stop its introduction. Across the country, vaccines are freely available in both public and private establishments.
Dr. Adesola Adebayo, a public health specialist, emphasized the importance of maintaining public health protocols in the face of the XEC strain. This latest variation serves as a clear reminder that the pandemic is still ongoing. To stop the spread of COVID-19, Nigerians need to be on guard, follow safety procedures, and take personal accountability, he said.
“Vaccination is crucial to protecting ourselves and our communities, along with rigorous adherence to safety protocols and public health measures,” said Adebayo.