Weekly Health Update | Africa Pushes Health Sovereignty; Ebola Vaccine Trial Begins
This week in Africa, an extraordinary African Union health summit in Accra made health sovereignty, ending AIDS and reducing maternal mortality top continental priorities. As the Ebola outbreak continues to worsen in the Democratic Republic of Congo, researchers have begun the first trials of a vaccine and a post-exposure preventive. . .
This week in Africa, an extraordinary African Union health summit in Accra made health sovereignty, ending AIDS and reducing maternal mortality top continental priorities. As the Ebola outbreak continues to worsen in the Democratic Republic of Congo, researchers have begun the first trials of a vaccine and a post-exposure preventive treatment. This weekly overview also examines efforts to strengthen health cooperation across Africa, financial support from the African Development Bank, a bird flu alert in Togo, Senegal’s shift toward preventive health care and the first confirmed mpox case in Guinea-Bissau. Extraordinary African Union Health Summit in AccraHeads of state, health ministers and international partners met in Accra on July 21 and 22, 2026, for an extraordinary African Union summit on health. The agenda focused on three priorities: ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, sharply reducing maternal mortality and strengthening Africa’s capacity to finance and manage its health systems amid continued dependence on external funding. ? Accra, GhanaAs the Extraordinary Summit on Health opens in Accra, we have an opportunity to move beyond ambition and deliver the political decisions that will strengthen continental health systems. We must remember that behind every statistic is a person, a family and a…pic. twitter. com/Y6maKO22mg— Dr Jean Kaseya (@Dr_JeanKaseya)July 21, 2026The summit built on a series of health diplomacy initiatives hosted by Ghana. The country organized the first African Health Sovereignty Summit in August 2025, attended by the World Health Organization’s director-general. In December 2025, Ghana and the DRC also convened a meeting on sustainable health system financing on the sidelines of ICASA. African Union Commission Chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf called on member states to act “for the mothers we must save, the diseases we must defeat and the systems we must build. ”Africa CDC and IOM Expand Cooperation on Migrant and Cross-Border HealthAfrica CDC, the African Union’s health agency, and the International Organization for Migration signed a cooperation agreement in Addis Ababa on July 22 for 2026-2028. The agreement is intended to strengthen Africa’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to health threats, with particular attention to migrants, displaced people and other mobile populations. It builds on cooperation developed during the Covid-19 pandemic and extends it to several priorities, including emergency preparedness and response, cross-border disease surveillance and equitable access to health services. Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said health threats did not stop at national borders and therefore required a coordinated continental response. He said the agreement would help countries detect threats earlier, coordinate their interventions more effectively and protect people regardless of where they lived or moved. Ebola Death Toll Exceeds 1,000 in the DRCThe death toll from the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak exceeded 1,000 in the Democratic Republic of Congo this week. According to Africa CDC, 1,033 people have died among more than 2,500 confirmed cases. Ituri province remains the epicenter, with the virus continuing to spread rapidly. The WHO has described the response as a “race against time. ” The organization estimates that the actual number of infections could be two to four times higher than the official count because of gaps in surveillance. More than 80% of new infections are occurring among people who were not on known contact lists, while more than 60% of deaths are being recorded in communities rather than health facilities. The absence of an approved vaccine or treatment for this strain, combined with insecurity linked to armed groups, continues to hinder efforts to contain the outbreak. Uganda appears to have limited cross-border transmission, but concern is growing in the DRC because of the fragility of its health infrastructure. The detection of confirmed cases in at least 16 displacement camps in Ituri has also intensified the humanitarian crisis. The sites are home to more than 270,000 displaced people. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has warned that overcrowding and limited access to basic services are increasing the risk of transmission. Hand-washing stations have been installed, while health workers are informing residents about prevention measures, symptoms and the need to report suspected cases quickly. Ebola Research: First Vaccine and Post-Exposure Treatment Trials BeginResearchers have begun the first human clinical trial of a vaccine candidate targeting Bundibugyo Ebola. The University of Oxford is testing a candidate known as ChAdOx1 BDBV. The study is assessing the vaccine’s safety and its ability to trigger an immune response in 50 healthy adults aged 18 to 55. — University of Oxford (@UniofOxford)July 24, 2026The candidate uses the same adenovirus platform as the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. The Serum Institute of India has already produced and stockpiled about 620,000 doses in preparation for a possible emergency rollout. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations plans to invest up to $50 million in its development. Separately, the EBO-PEP trial began in the DRC and Uganda on July 14. It is being coordinated by the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Kinshasa, Inserm’s ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases agency and the nonprofit organization Alima. The trial is evaluating obeldesivir as a post-exposure preventive treatment for high-risk contacts, mainly response personnel exposed in Ituri. If the trial produces favorable results, the study will be expanded to five countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Both programs remain at an early stage. They would still require further clinical and regulatory review before either intervention could be deployed on a large scale. AfDB Approves $13 Million for Ebola ResponseThe African Development Bank approved $13 million in emergency assistance on July 20, 2026, to support the Ebola response. The package includes a $10 million grant for the DRC through the WHO and an additional $3 million in financing to be implemented by Africa CDC under a regional program. The DRC will receive $11 million in total, while Uganda and South Sudan will each receive $1 million. The funding will support early diagnosis, disease surveillance, community engagement and regional coordination. Canada also announced that it was closing its borders to travelers who had recently stayed in the DRC. Togo Confirms Five H5N1 Bird Flu OutbreaksIn a joint statement issued on July 18, 2026, Togo’s health, animal resources and environment ministries confirmed five outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu at poultry farms in the Maritime region, mainly in the Lacs, Vo and Zio prefectures. The authorities immediately launched a response plan involving expanded disease surveillance, tighter biosecurity measures at poultry farms and public information campaigns. The H5N1 virus mainly affects birds but can, in rare cases, be transmitted to humans after close contact with infected animals or their droppings. No human cases have been reported in Togo. The authorities advised the public to avoid contact with sick or dead poultry and to report any suspected outbreak immediately to the relevant veterinary services. Senegal Moves to Give Prevention a Larger Role in Health PolicySenegal formally launched the process of developing its 2026-2030 National Health Prevention and Promotion Plan on July 22. The plan is aligned with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s Senegal 2050 agenda. The initiative responds to evidence that most health outcomes are shaped by factors outside the health care system. According to a Health Ministry study, only 11% of improvements in the health of Senegal’s population can be attributed to medical care, while 89% depend on social, environmental and behavioral factors. The country is also facing an increase in noncommunicable diseases, which account for 53% of deaths. Hypertension, diabetes and cancers are becoming more common, while an estimated 36. 6% of the population has symptoms of depression. Health Ministry Secretary-General Leroux Dramé said Senegal intended to give prevention a larger role without reducing access to curative care. The planning process forms part of a broader health-sector reform that includes an update of the Health COMPACT and the NAATANGUE 2030 program, backed by $135 million in World Bank financing. Guinea-Bissau Confirms First Mpox CaseGuinea-Bissau confirmed its first mpox case on July 4. The patient is a 27-year-old woman who sought medical care on June 24. Samples were analyzed by the National Institute of Public Health and subsequently confirmed by the virology department of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar. Genetic characterization of the strain is underway. The authorities launched an outbreak response in line with the International Health Regulations. Measures include an epidemiological investigation, contact tracing, expanded surveillance and community information activities. Ayi Renaud Dossavi