Tanzania, May 8 -- Namibia. A critical shortage of health workforce in Africa has exacerbated the impacts of recurrent public health emergencies on the continent, the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has said.

While Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for approximately 24 percent of the global disease burden, it is home to only three percent of the world's health workers, said Jean Kaseya, director-general of Africa CDC, at the May 6-8 Africa Health Workforce Investment Forum, now underway in Windhoek, capital of Namibia, according to an Africa CDC statement.

In the year 2023 alone, the African continent recorded 166 disease outbreaks, a trend likely to persist in 2024, the Africa CDC said.

The shortag...