AFRICA has made significant progress in strengthening its ability to prevent and respond to disease outbreaks since the COVID-19 pandemic, but glaring gaps in health security infrastructure continue to expose the continent to future epidemics, a new report has revealed.
The inaugural Africa Health Security (AHS) Index, released on Tuesday amid a devastating Ebola outbreak, showed that the continent is nearly 30 per cent more prepared than it was five years ago. However, Africa recorded an average score of 41.5 out of 100, highlighting persistent weaknesses in health systems, biosecurity, emergency preparedness and financing.
The report, developed by a coalition of African and international public health experts and research organisations, assessed all 54 African countries using 190 indicators covering health security, disease surveillance, health systems, governance and political risk.
According to the findings, 52 of the 54 countries improved their overall scores, reflecting increased investments in health security following lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the gains, the report warned that many countries remain ill-prepared to contain future outbreaks before they escalate into regional or global health emergencies.
Head of Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation at the Science for Africa Foundation, Judith Omumbo, described the index as an important tool for strengthening Africa’s health security architecture.
She said, “The AHS Index is a game changer for an exceptionally diverse continent with wide differences in national incomes, climate, governance and social conditions. It measures our unique strengths and strategic opportunities and provides the evidence base for African-controlled health investments and policy decisions.”
The report found that Africa’s capacity in biosecurity and biosafety remains critically low despite modest improvements.
The researchers said although the continent recorded an average biosecurity score of 14.9 out of 100 and a biosafety score of 18.2, its capacity to manage dual-use biological research averaged just 1.9 out of 100, even though laboratory infrastructure continues to expand across Africa and oversight systems have not kept pace.
Senior Adviser at the Brown University Pandemic Center, Dr Wilmot James, said sustained investment remains essential to closing the existing gaps.
“Substantial gaps remain that can mean the difference between a small outbreak and an international pandemic,” he added.
The report also highlighted improvements in disease surveillance, with 53 countries strengthening their biosurveillance systems. Wastewater and environmental surveillance have expanded to 52 countries, while 48 countries now have genomic sequencing capacity.
It further showed that African countries have made greater progress in developing vaccines and therapeutics than deploying them during emergencies. Countries scored an average of 56.5 out of 100 for developing medical countermeasures, compared to 20.7 out of 100 for deployment. Although 85 per cent of countries have agencies to approve new vaccines and therapeutics, only 22 per cent have public plans to manage emergency supply surges.
ALSO READ: Africa now world’s hunger epicentre, with 309 million hungry people – Report
The report also pointed to improvements in climate-related health security through expanded water and sanitation infrastructure, stronger surveillance for zoonotic diseases and enhanced emergency response planning.
Regional cooperation has improved, with 52 countries operating Emergency Operations Centres and 36 countries establishing animal health emergency agreements. However, only eight countries currently track facilities handling dangerous pathogens.
On health financing, the report noted signs of declining government commitment. The continent’s average score for national health security financing dropped from 52.5 to 50.5, with 18 countries no longer demonstrating active financing commitments.
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Christine E. Wormuth, said the report demonstrated measurable progress but stressed the need for continued investment.
“African governments have made measurable progress in health security capacity, and the data show it. Growing biological risks and a challenging security environment expose countries to outbreaks, accidents and deliberate threats. Strengthening public health is both a national and regional security priority,” she said.
The report recommended increased investment in biosecurity and biosafety, expanded disease surveillance, improved vaccine deployment, stronger water and sanitation infrastructure, enhanced cross-border collaboration and greater domestic funding for pandemic preparedness.
WATCH TOP VIDEOS FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE TV