The mpox outbreak, which began affecting seven African countries, has now spread to 26, illustrating the growing challenge of containing the disease. The complexity is heightened by the presence of four distinct clades and several sub-strains, including Clade I, known for its higher mortality rate, and Clade IIB, which is sexually transmissible and currently spreading in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. This complexity underscores the urgent need for timely, accessible, and comprehensive health knowledge to guide effective responses.
To address this, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) is preparing to launch a continent-wide health knowledge management initiative. This effort aims to transform public health practices by ensuring essential health knowledge is accessible and actionable, helping prevent and manage diseases such as mpox and strengthening overall health systems in Africa.
Central to this initiative is the Africa Health Knowledge Management Portal—a dynamic platform designed to consolidate and share health data, research, and policy insights. It will support Africa CDC, its five Regional Coordinating Centres (RCCs), and all African Union (AU) Member States in accessing and applying knowledge to public health action and policymaking.
This portal seeks to address Africa’s longstanding underrepresentation in global knowledge production by offering innovative, scalable solutions. It will serve as a one-stop hub for critical resources, facilitating access to data, documents, and relevant public health knowledge tailored to Member States’ needs.
Advanced features of the portal include AI-powered multilingual translation, intelligent search tools, an interactive chatbot, and real-time document comparison. These tools are designed to enhance usability for a wide range of users—from health workers to policymakers—while promoting accessibility through mobile-friendly design and personalised content.
The portal will function at three levels: continental (hosted by Africa CDC), regional (managed by RCCs), and national (by individual Member States). It is built to integrate with existing national health information systems, offering either independent hosting or seamless connectivity to the continental platform.
Supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Mastercard Foundation, the portal is a key part of Africa CDC’s vision for a borderless, interconnected public health ecosystem. Pilot projects are already underway in selected Member States to demonstrate adaptability and encourage broader adoption.
Africa CDC is also investing in capacity building by training national knowledge managers, forming governance frameworks, and fostering local ownership to ensure long-term sustainability of the platform.
Beyond technology, the initiative promotes a culture of knowledge exchange through regular engagement activities such as Knowledge Hours, Knowledge Cafés, and Communities of Practice. These efforts aim to enhance collaboration among researchers, health workers, and policymakers in real-time.
Given Africa’s high vulnerability to disease outbreaks and increasing health system demands, the portal offers a timely and strategic solution. It aligns with Africa CDC’s New Public Health Order and stands as a digital, collaborative, and locally driven tool to support emergency response and long-term health resilience across the continent.
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