By Iyemah David
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned that climate change is increasingly driving the spread of infectious diseases across the continent.
The agency urged governments to strengthen climate-resilient health systems to address the growing threat.
Dr Kyeng Mercy of the agency’s Surveillance and Disease Intelligence Unit, made the disclosure during a weekly high-level regional press briefing on Thursday.
She said rising temperatures, flooding and drought were contributing to the spread of diseases such as Malaria and Cholera, including vector-borne infections emerging in areas previously unaffected.
Dr Mercy noted that malaria cases were now appearing in highland regions of countries including Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda, where the disease had historically been rare.
Mercy added that flooding and contaminated water sources were increasing the risk of cholera outbreaks, while expanding populations of Aedes mosquitoes were driving the spread of dengue and other vector-borne diseases.
She highlighted the agency’s newly launched climate change and health strategy aimed at helping member states anticipate and respond to health risks linked to climate hazards.
According to her, the plan includes using climate data to develop early warning systems, strengthening water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, and ensuring vaccine supply chains remain resilient during extreme weather events.
Dr Mercy emphasised that vulnerable communities urgently required support to build climate-resilient infrastructure and improve access to clean water, citing recent cholera hotspots in Southern Africa as examples of climate-related health risks.
“Investing in climate-smart health systems is critical. This is not just about responding to emergencies but preventing them before they escalate,” she said.
The warning comes as Africa faces overlapping health challenges, including Mpox and Meningitis, which are increasingly influenced by environmental factors.
The Africa CDC called for stronger collaboration among governments, development partners and civil society to implement strategies that mitigate the impact of climate change on public health across the continent.
