Plague public health risk

The African Region is the WHO Region with the highest burden of tropical diseases. It is estimated that 80-90% of total clinical malaria cases (300-500 million) and malaria-related deaths (1.5-2.7 million) occur in Africa and about 55 million people are at risk of human African trypanosomiasis. Plague remains a public health problem in several countries, with around 1000 cases and 100 deaths yearly, and several countries in Central and Eastern Africa experience a high prevalence of onchocerciasis. Schistosomiasis and relapsing fever also add to the burden of tropical diseases, although they are endemic in more limited areas. 

These are anthrax, smallpox, plague, botulism, tularemia, viral hemorrhagic fevers and ricin. They can disseminate and present a high risk on public health. Most of them require Level 4 Biosafety laboratories. 

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