Abhijit Dipke's condition worsened before media meeting; he returned home after vomiting

The Ministry of Health welcomes the progress in the development of a new tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, stating that preparations are underway to ensure access for South Africans should the clinical trials be successfully completed.

The M72/ASO1E vaccine, designed to prevent TB among adults and adolescents, is currently undergoing Phase III trials in South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, and Indonesia.

The Ministry emphasized that this vaccine could represent a significant breakthrough in the fight against TB both globally and in South Africa, where the disease remains a serious public health concern.

Currently, the only available TB vaccine is the BCG (Bacille Calmette-Guérin) vaccine, which is administered to newborns and children under five years old, but it provides limited protection against TB at older ages.

Ministry representative Foster Mohale stated that the department is proactively preparing all necessary conditions for the potential registration and introduction of this vaccine. He noted that the Ministry of Health is actively working to offer protection to South Africans as soon as possible after the trials succeed.

The Ministry announced that it received information from representatives of the Gates Medical Research Institute and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation regarding an agreement reached with the Serum Institute of India—the world's largest vaccine manufacturer. This agreement concerns the production and global supply of TB vaccine doses.

Furthermore, the arrangement includes phased production by pharmaceutical partners in South Africa and Indonesia, which could potentially boost economic growth.

Mohale called this agreement an important step in the development of the new vaccine, noting that it might be the most significant progress in TB vaccine development since the introduction of BCG over a hundred years ago.

Tuberculosis continues to be one of the leading causes of death from infectious diseases worldwide, with South Africa being among the countries with a high burden of the disease. The government has set a goal to eradicate TB as a public health threat by 2030.

Mohale assured that the ministry is ready to support the production and implementation of the vaccine once trial results are available and regulatory approval is obtained.

He added that the Ministry of Health welcomes this important agreement and is prepared to support the production and introduction of the M72/ASO1E vaccine in South Africa after the trial results are known and the vaccine is registered by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA).

Nevertheless, before the vaccine becomes available to the public, it must complete Phase III trials and receive approval from SAHPRA.

According to the latest bulletin from the National Directorate of Public Health (DNSP), 9,553 cases of cholera were registered in the country between September 3, 2025, and July 25, 2026. Of this total, 3,986 cases are in Nampula province, where 39 deaths have been recorded.

A significant number of cases were also recorded in other regions: Tete reported 2,974 cases and 33 fatalities; Cabo Delgado saw 1,137 infections and eight deaths. Furthermore, Sofala identified 921 infected individuals and four deaths, while Manica reported 386 infections and three deaths.

One case was registered in Zambezia, Gaza, and Maputo provinces, with no associated deaths in these instances. The city of Maputo also has one registered case without fatalities.

Previously, according to DNSP data as of June 6, the total number of cholera cases since September was 9,092, with 86 deaths. Active transmission of the disease spread across 16 districts, which has now decreased to five. At the beginning of 2026, active transmission covered at least 42 districts, mainly in the central and northern parts of the country.

Currently, fewer than ten new cholera cases are being recorded in the country, which is attributed to the end of the rainy season in April. However, the mortality rate remains at 0.9%.

During the cholera outbreak that occurred from October 17, 2024, to July 20, 2025, 4,420 infections were registered, of which 3,590 were in Nampula, and the total number of deaths was 64 people.

The new United Nations Proactive Framework for combating cholera in Mozambique provides for funding of up to 1.7 million euros for rapid intervention before outbreaks escalate, similar to the current situation. This framework was approved on May 22 by structures of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The document establishes a mechanism that links epidemiological data with immediate funding, allowing for timely action and preventing larger crises. Cholera continues to pose a serious public health threat in Mozambique due to frequent outbreaks linked to inadequate access to clean water, poor sanitation conditions, and extreme weather events such as cyclones and floods.

The new framework, endorsed by OCHA, stipulates that response will be activated based on weekly data on acute watery diarrhea, enabling the rapid detection of abnormal increases in cases. Once predefined thresholds are exceeded, actions are triggered automatically, eliminating delays in resource mobilization.

A central element of the mechanism is the pre-positioning of funding through the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which will provide up to $1.5 million (€1.3 million) for a two-year period. Each activation can release $750,000 (€650,000), allowing for two rapid interventions within this timeframe.

In addition to direct funding from CERF, the plan includes co-financing from participating agencies, increasing the total mobilizable amount to nearly two million dollars (€1.7 million), including additional funds designated for preparation and implementation on the ground.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) issued a warning about growing operational difficulties hindering the response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), while highly commending Uganda's efforts in successfully containing the disease.

During an online press conference on Thursday evening, Africa CDC Director Jane Kaseya emphasized that the ongoing outbreak is 'the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history' and now ranks second in total confirmed cases. He stated that they are working to prevent it from becoming the largest Ebola outbreak.

According to Kaseya, he will join the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to visit Bunia, the capital of the Ituri province in eastern DRC, which is the epicenter of the outbreak, on August 2. The visit is planned to include meetings with local authorities, frontline healthcare workers, affected communities, and response partners.

Kaseya noted the need to strengthen capacity to prevent the outbreak from spreading to new areas and to improve early detection and adequate response. According to the latest data from Africa CDC and DRC health authorities, since the declaration of the 17th Ebola outbreak on May 15, the country has registered 3,442 confirmed cases and 1,521 deaths, corresponding to a fatality rate of over 44%. Currently, the outbreak affects 48 health zones across five provinces of the country.

The Africa CDC Director expressed concern over critical obstacles slowing down response efforts in the DRC. These include limited contact tracing capabilities, rising numbers of cases and deaths in communities, increasing fatality rates, and insufficient bed capacity. Furthermore, funding shortages, instability, unsafe burial practices, and cases of infection and death among healthcare workers have been cited as serious problems.

Despite the challenges, Africa CDC highlighted progress in several aspects of the response, including improved laboratory capabilities. Currently, 19 laboratories are actively conducting testing, significantly more than the two active labs at the initial stage, and the daily testing throughput exceeds 3,000 samples. The recent launch of clinical trials for therapeutics targeting the Bundibugyo strain is also considered a breakthrough, given the lack of licensed vaccines or targeted medical countermeasures for this Ebola variant.

Despite the worsening situation in the DRC, Kaseya acknowledged the decisive national leadership and effective response of Uganda, which allowed the transmission of the disease to be stopped after Uganda officially declared the end of the outbreak on Tuesday. The Ugandan Ministry of Health stated that successes in epidemiological investigations and the fully characterized nature of the outbreak provided sufficient scientific evidence to interrupt transmission.

Kaseya stressed that Uganda's success sends a clear signal: when political leadership, communities, and health sectors act together, outbreaks can be stopped. He added that the country's achievement reflects the dedication and commitment of healthcare workers, communities, local authorities, and partners who have tirelessly worked to identify, contain, and overcome this outbreak.

Meanwhile, Kaseya called on the United States to lift Ebola-related visa restrictions on Uganda, emphasizing the country's successful containment efforts. Africa CDC also appealed to Ugandan health authorities to maintain full vigilance and implement infection prevention measures, as well as to enhance public awareness and community surveillance, given that the outbreak is developing in DRC areas bordering Uganda.

In addition to the DRC and Uganda, 11 other countries on the continent were classified as high-risk zones: South Sudan, Rwanda, Kenya, Zambia, Central African Republic, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Angola, Republic of Congo, Burundi, and Somalia.