Half of Africa's approved diagnostics for six priority epidemic diseases are not accessible to primary health care facilities, new report finds
Since 2015, funding to develop tests for these diseases has fallen by more than half, even as outbreaks like the 2026 Bundibugyo ebolavirus keep occurring.
A health worker administers a malaria rapid diagnostic test at a primary health facility in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Photo: PATH/Georgina Goodwin
A new report from global health nonprofits PATH and Impact Global Health finds that half of all approved diagnostics for six epidemic-prone diseases prioritized by the Africa CDC (mpox, dengue, cholera, bacterial meningitis, malaria, and Ebola) require laboratory infrastructure that most African primary health facilities don't have. For Ebola specifically, that figure rises to 88%.
When the Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak emerged in May 2026, initial samples tested negative because the diagnostics on hand were built to detect a different Ebola strain. Very few Bundibugyo-specific diagnostics exist, and, as a result, ten days passed before responders could confirm the disease they were facing. The report, The Diagnostics Deficit: Funding, Access, and Preparedness Gaps in African Health Systems, was launched today ahead of the African Union Extraordinary Health Summit in Accra, Ghana, where African heads of government will meet to discuss reducing preventable deaths on the continent.
The six diseases examined in this report were selected from Africa CDC's priority list for their outbreak and epidemic potential, though the report notes the specific six were also shaped by G-FINDER funding data availability; measles, also an Africa CDC priority, was excluded for lack of comparable data. Across these six diseases, Africa has 577 approved diagnostics, with an additional 59 in development. But the innovation is unevenly spread: dengue and mpox alone account for 84% of the total product landscape, while cholera and meningitis, both flagged by Africa CDC as outbreak and antimicrobial-resistance risks, have just seven products or candidates each.
“Our G-FINDER data reveals a system under strain,” says Sabastine Wakdok, Director of Research at Impact Global Health. “Diagnostic R&D investment for six Africa CDC priority diseases has fallen nearly US$4 million annually since 2015. More troubling, this decline persists despite rising disease incidence and outbreak risk. Furthermore, we are not seeing sustained investments that epidemic-prone diseases demand; rather, outbreak-driven spikes in funding are followed by a collapse in attention and support, a pattern that leaves Africa perpetually underprepared.”
“Diagnostic R&D investment for six Africa CDC priority diseases has fallen nearly US$4 million annually since 2015. More troubling, this decline persists despite rising disease incidence and outbreak risk”— Sabastine Wakdok, Director of Research at Impact Global Health
The shortfall, the report argues, is not only a story about missing innovation, it's also about reach.
Bernard Aryeetey, Senior Director of the Center for Advocacy and Policy at PATH, said: “It is not solely whether the diagnostics exist, but also whether they can reach the clinics and surveillance systems when they are most needed, especially during outbreaks.”
If the challenge of access, affordability, deployment, and manufacturing readiness is not solved, more people will die needlessly, even when innovative diagnostic tools exist.
“It is not solely whether the diagnostics exist, but also whether they can reach the clinics and surveillance systems when they are most needed, especially during outbreaks.”— Bernard Aryeetey, Senior Director of the Center for Advocacy and Polic
Closing that gap, the report argues, is squarely within reach, but investment is only part of the fix. Sustained funding from global health donors, along with stronger domestic financing through national health budgets, remains essential to ensure countries have the diagnostic tools they need before the next outbreak occurs.
The report also calls on Africa CDC to make diagnostics a non-negotiable pillar of health security planning, on research and industry partners to develop and manufacture more diagnostics built for primary health care settings rather than tools that depend on lab infrastructure most clinics don’t have, and on the African Medicines Agency to harmonize diagnostic approval pathways across the continent, so a test approved in one country doesn’t have to clear the same regulatory hurdles all over again in the next.
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For all media inquiries and interview requests:
PATH: Lauren Grella, Senior Director, Marketing and Communications, Phone: +1-206-285-3500, media@path.org
Impact Global Health: Emmanuelle Bomo, Communications Lead, Phone: +44 (0)7857 999 577, ebomo@impactgh.org
About PATH
PATH is a global nonprofit advancing health innovations with and for the people who need them most. With nearly 50 years of experience, a global team of experts, and trusted partnerships spanning 70+ countries, PATH turns breakthroughs into better health for millions every single year. www.path.org
About Impact Global Health
Impact Global Health (IGH) exists to ensure that lifesaving health innovations reach the people who need them most, faster. By accelerating the development of biomedical breakthroughs, we help build a healthier, more equitable world. We do this by providing the analysis, tools, and evidence needed so that R&D funders, advocates, innovators, and product developers can make informed, impactful decisions that accelerate the delivery of life-changing solutions for those who need them most. By equipping stakeholders with the right insights and connections, we help turn investments into real impact. www.impactglobalhealth.org
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