Weekly Health Update | Ebola Accelerates; U. N. Adopts Landmark NTD Resolution
This week, Africa’s health news has been dominated by the worsening Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, prompting the United Nations to release additional emergency funding. Elsewhere, the World Health Organization warned that annual cancer cases could reach 35 million by 2050, while the U. N. Human Rights. . .
This week, Africa’s health news has been dominated by the worsening Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, prompting the United Nations to release additional emergency funding. Elsewhere, the World Health Organization warned that annual cancer cases could reach 35 million by 2050, while the U. N. Human Rights Council adopted its first resolution devoted entirely to neglected tropical diseases. Landmark Resolution Led by Six African CountriesThe U. N. Human Rights Council unanimously adopted Resolution 62/27, titled “Human Rights and Neglected Tropical Diseases,” on July 7, 2026. It is the first resolution devoted entirely to neglected tropical diseases, or NTDs. The council recognized that tackling these 21 diseases is a public health priority and an issue of dignity, equity and inclusion. The resolution was sponsored by Malawi, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Kenya, Morocco and Tanzania. It directs the Office of the U. N. High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a report on the human rights dimensions of NTDs by 2027. NTDs are a group of 21 infectious diseases that primarily affect poor communities in tropical regions. Long overlooked and underfunded, they cause disability, death and significant economic losses. The best-known include leprosy, sleeping sickness, onchocerciasis, also known as river blindness, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma and schistosomiasis. More than 1 billion people worldwide are affected. Bundibugyo Ebola Cases Reach 1,792 as Outbreak Spreads RapidlyAs of July 9, 2026, Congolese authorities had recorded 1,792 confirmed cases and 625 deaths since the outbreak was declared on May 15. The case fatality rate was 34. 1%, with 764 patients in isolation or receiving hospital treatment. Uganda continued to report 20 confirmed cases and two deaths. Africa CDC, the African Union’s health agency, described it as the fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak on record. According to the agency, it is spreading twice as fast as the 2013-2016 West African outbreak, the deadliest to date, which killed more than 11,300 people. Treatment centers are operating at 90% capacity. Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba said Thursday in Bunia that the outbreak was still spreading rapidly. New suspected cases have been reported in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, which had not previously recorded any infections. This brings the number of affected provinces to five. One suspected case has no apparent connection to Ituri, where the outbreak began. This raises concerns about a separate transmission chain in Kisangani, a city of more than 1 million people. Ebola Response Workers Strike Over Unpaid Wages in IturiEbola response workers protested outside three treatment centers in Bunia and Rwampara in Ituri province, demanding wages and allowances owed since the outbreak was declared. Some burned tires outside the Rwampara treatment center before police intervened. Dr. Biensi Kano, a member of the epidemiological surveillance committee in Bunia, told the Associated Press that workers had been demanding payment since the outbreak was declared. Akilimali Pierre, crisis director at the National Institute of Public Health, attributed part of the delay to the closure of Bunia airport, which he said was disrupting the response, including some funding operations. Africa CDC urged Congolese authorities to pay the outstanding wages and allowances promptly, warning that keeping front-line workers motivated was a major operational concern. U. N. Releases $60 Million as World Bank Mobilizes $46 MillionThe international community has stepped up its response as the outbreak accelerates. On July 9, Tom Fletcher, the U. N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, called for faster action to slow the spread of Ebola in the DRC. He announced the release of $60 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, or CERF, to accelerate the response in the DRC and help neighboring countries, including Uganda, Burundi and South Sudan, prepare for possible cases. The Inter-Agency Standing Committee also deployed senior Ebola coordinator Julien Harneis to strengthen coordination. Fletcher warned that every delay would result in more Ebola deaths and deepen the outbreak’s wider humanitarian consequences. He noted that the DRC was already facing one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises. The World Bank, meanwhile, announced on July 2 that it was disbursing $46 million in emergency funding to support the response across 35 affected health zones. Albert Zeufack, the institution’s country director for the DRC, said the funding was already being used. It comes from a $250 million health emergency preparedness project approved in 2024. The money is financing diagnostic equipment designed to detect the Bundibugyo strain, including 10 Radi-One rapid diagnostic platforms and 40,000 tests. An additional 94 platforms and 30,000 tests are expected in the coming days. HIV Infections Rise Rapidly in North Africa and the Middle EastNorth Africa and the Middle East have recorded the world’s largest increase in new HIV infections. Infections rose 77% between 2010 and 2025, according to the latest UNAIDS estimates. Over the same period, they declined 43% worldwide and 59% in sub-Saharan Africa. HIV prevalence in the region remains low, at an estimated 0. 1% among people aged 15 to 49. However, infections have risen severalfold in some countries since 2010. Access to treatment remains the lowest of any region monitored by UNAIDS, with only half of people living with HIV receiving treatment. WHO Projects 35 Million New Cancer Cases Annually by 2050The World Cancer Report 2026, published on July 8 by the WHO and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, projects nearly 35 million new cases annually by 2050. That would represent an increase of about 70% from the current level of 20. 6 million cases. Cancer is already the world’s second-leading cause of death, killing nearly 10 million people each year. The report points to stark inequalities in access to care. While 87% of women diagnosed with breast cancer survive for at least five years in high-income countries, the rate falls to 42% in low-income countries. Cancer incidence remains relatively low in Africa, but mortality is particularly high because of late diagnosis and limited access to treatment. Nearly 40% of cancers are linked to preventable risk factors, including tobacco use, alcohol consumption, obesity, physical inactivity and infections such as human papillomavirus and hepatitis B and C. Togo Reports Concerning Rise in Dengue CasesGreater Lomé, which includes Togo’s capital and surrounding areas, has recorded a resurgence in dengue cases since the beginning of 2026, a trend the Health Ministry considers concerning. Dengue is transmitted by mosquitoes, which multiply during the rainy season. It does not spread directly from person to person. Its symptoms resemble those of malaria and include high fever, headaches, severe fatigue, and muscle and joint pain. Severe cases can cause bleeding. Authorities have strengthened epidemiological surveillance, introduced free treatment and expanded public awareness campaigns. The ministry has advised residents to use insecticide-treated mosquito nets, wear long-sleeved clothing and eliminate mosquito breeding sites around their homes. Ghana Tests Pandemic Preparedness in Global ExerciseGhana participated in Polaris II, a global pandemic simulation organized by the WHO under its HorizonX program. The exercise brought together 26 countries and territories, more than 600 public health specialists and over 25 partner organizations to assess national preparedness for health emergencies. About 30 Ghanaian public health professionals participated. Following the exercise, Director of Public Health Dr. Asiedu Bekoe said the results and participants’ engagement had convinced him that Ghana was prepared to respond to an outbreak. Ayi Renaud Dossavi