Chioma Nnamani (Lead Writer)
Mpox has been devastating communities in West and Central Africa, howewer in 2024, four previously unaffected countries, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda reported their first mpox cases.
In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) mobilised $1 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies to strengthen Africa’s response, and the African Union allocated $10.4 million. As the crisis escalated, the WHO also convened an Emergency Committee meeting on August 14, 2024, to determine if the situation constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
In early 2025, the mpox virus made an unsettling return across several communities in West and Central African countries, with Sierra Leone becoming a hotspot.
The response to the public health aspect of the virus has continued to strengthen, with the WHO and Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) working under the Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan and the Continental Mpox Preparedness and Response Plan. Together, they have established a joint incident management support team, rolled out vaccine access mechanisms, provided essential logistics support, and worked closely with countries to strengthen their response systems.
However, the economic implications of the outbreak remain evident, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has been managing mpox outbreaks for many years, and is now facing potential disruptions to overall supply chains, manufacturing of goods, tourism and foreign investment. These disruptions reinforce that infectious disease outbreaks are not only a public health concern but also a significant economic risk.
According to Dr Isaac Akanko, Medical Director West & Central Africa at International SOS, infectious disease outbreaks such as mpox have shown the need for businesses to go beyond health compliance and integrate outbreak readiness into their core risk management systems.
In an interview with Nigeria Health Watch, Dr Akanko, discusses how organisations can anticipate and manage the impact of public health emergencies, including mpox on operations, protect their workforce, and build long-term resilience. Some responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
How do infectious disease outbreaks affect supply chains in Africa and globally?
Dr Akanko: “It’s a threat to business continuity and supply chains. It’s bigger than just the movement of goods because services, the movement of people are also part of the supply chain. So having a disruption of supply chain can easily bring businesses to a halt. It’s a threat to business continuity and even to the economic stability of various countries.
If countries close their borders because of infectious disease outbreaks, and people can’t move freely, you can imagine the magnitude of impact on service delivery and business survival.
To summarise, workforce disruption will be a major challenge; people will lose jobs, productivity will drop, and companies will struggle to operate. They may not be able to receive raw materials or deliver finished products. Travel restrictions will delay movement, importations, and exportation. Therefore, there’s a big cost implication when supply chain is affected.”
Considering mpox as a current example, how can organisations better prepare, and what gaps still expose workers to risk?
Dr Akanko: “Mpox has reinforced that infectious disease is not just a public health concern but also affects the strategy of business continuity. Staff needs to be protected, and that translates into operational resilience…so most companies need to understand the disease process, and we are seeing that many companies are still using generic templates, instead of having specific templates that reflects the specifics of the disease pattern and the local health system capacities.
“In terms of monitoring there’s also the area of epidemiological trends, which means looking at the disease pattern, how the outbreak is spinning out, the trajectory, and putting in place the necessary escalations to ensure that a safe working environment is provided for employees. All this cannot be done in isolation and there is need to coordinate with the local health authorities, because these outbreaks are public health issues.”
Beyond workforce risks, what major gaps remain unaddressed?
Dr Akanko: “One of the biggest gaps remain effective communication, creating awareness of the disease progress and making sure the information people are receiving are real facts. Another challenge is accessibility to the right medical support where individuals who exhibit symptoms can easily get help. I think private organisations also have the duty of care to help their employees navigate into those processes, which is why they need to have an infectious disease plan that tie into their employees preferred health partner or medical provider, where they can go to access care.
“Another important area for institutions or private sector is to assist with health screenings, making sure vaccines are accessible and ensuring that people who call in sick are getting the right and proper support in terms of care. Organisations do not operate in isolation from the communities where they work, as people commute in and out daily. The private sector can partner with government health authorities to strengthen medical centres by improving basic systems and providing resources like diagnostic facilities, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), and isolation centres to support outbreak response, as seen with mpox. When such early support interventions are in place, it becomes easier to contain the disease quickly and prevent further outbreaks.”
Given these gaps, as an expert, what practical steps can organisations take to protect their workers and operations during an mpox outbreak, while still running their businesses?
Dr Isaac Akanko: “We encourage companies to stay one step ahead by putting in place what we call an outbreak-specific or infectious disease response plan. This plan should clearly define protocols and escalation procedures for each disease, so that if an employee shows symptoms of infection, the response can be triggered immediately. To do this, [organisations] must first understand the nature of their industry and conduct a risk assessment. This helps determine different escalation levels of a response depending on whether the disease is within the continent, a neighbouring country, or local community. Awareness is a key part of the response plan. Giving people accurate information is powerful, screening mechanisms should be instituted, especially if cases are reported within nearby communities.
Each disease requires a tailored protocol because transmission patterns differ. It’s important to create a specific plan for mpox under general infectious disease framework. The plan should also include monitoring systems to track epidemiological trends and data from local health authorities.