Africa CDC, UK-PHRST Study Urges Shift to Sustainable Outbreak Response Models

A landmark study by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST) has reaffirmed the vital contribution of international health deployments to public health emergency responses in Africa while calling for a paradigm shift toward locally tailored and sustainable support systems.

Presented during a high-level virtual workshop held from 23 to 24 June 2025, the study is one of the most expansive evaluations to date, examining the role and impact of international technical support teams deployed across African Union (AU) Member States between 2020 and 2023.

Deployments Offered Critical Surge Support During Outbreaks

The study underscores how international teams helped AU Member States manage public health emergencies through rapid-response expertise, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ebola outbreaks, and other emerging infectious diseases. Their efforts were most prominent in key areas including:

• Epidemiology and Surveillance

• Laboratory System Support

• Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)

• Clinical Care and Risk Communication

Remarkably, nearly half of all deployments supported multiple technical domains, showcasing the multi-disciplinary strength of these teams. Their interventions often filled urgent gaps, delivering high-level technical support, essential equipment, infrastructure, and training, all while reinforcing national coordination structures and operational systems.

“These deployments have delivered vital expertise, resources, and rapid response capacity at crucial moments,” noted Dr Radjabu Bigirimana, Programme Lead of the African Volunteers Health Corps (AVoHC).

Strategic Alignments and Local Contexts: The Need for Tailored Support

While the value of international support was widely recognized by national stakeholders, the study identified critical areas for improvement. The findings emphasized that the effectiveness of international deployments often hinged on how well external teams aligned with local systems, understood national priorities, and integrated with existing coordination mechanisms.

International partners participating in the workshop acknowledged the importance of context-specific deployments, and stressed that short-term interventions must transition into long-term investments that build enduring health security in African nations.

“This workshop reinforces the need for global partnerships to evolve—where international deployments are not just reactive measures, but deliberate investments in national systems,” said Dr Edmund Newman, Director of UK-PHRST.

Learning, Evidence, and Equity: The Pillars of Future Response

The workshop discussions reflected a shared commitment to evidence-based learning and mutual accountability between international agencies and AU Member States. Participants stressed that successful deployments should:

• Be informed by prior lessons and real-time data;

• Prioritize national leadership and local empowerment;

• Build on and reinforce existing health capacities rather than create parallel systems.

“The findings of the report validate experiences across Africa but also point to what must change to ensure deployments are more effective, context-specific, equitable, and empowering,” said Dr Femi Nzegwu, Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and lead for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning at UK-PHRST.

From Reactive to Proactive: A Roadmap for Sustainable Public Health Response

The workshop culminated in the collaborative development of a roadmap that aims to operationalise the report’s recommendations. This roadmap serves as a best practice guide for AU Member States on how to institutionalise sustainable solutions for future outbreak preparedness and response.

Key components of the roadmap include:

• Investing in national health workforce development

• Creating agile and decentralized health emergency systems

• Improving integration of international deployments into country-led structures

• Expanding technical exchange and capacity-building initiatives

• Enhancing multi-sectoral coordination and public trust

The study also recommended refining deployment planning protocols to ensure that humanitarian responses support—not replace—national systems, helping to reduce long-term reliance on external surge capacity.

Toward Resilient, Self-Sustaining Health Systems in Africa

This study and the associated roadmap offer a transformative vision for building self-reliant public health emergency response systems across Africa. The emphasis on local ownership, strategic global partnerships, and context-driven planning sets the stage for more resilient health systems that can respond swiftly and effectively to future crises.

As public health threats become increasingly global and complex, the Africa CDC and UK-PHRST collaboration serves as a timely reminder that sustainable health security is both a shared responsibility and a national imperative.