West African scientists warn of weakening health systems and urge stronger outbreak detection

West African laboratory scientists meeting in Lome, Togo, issued a joint warning on Friday regarding the deteriorating state of health systems across the region. The experts called upon governments to take immediate action to bolster disease outbreak detection capabilities.

According to the reports, the scientists stressed that strengthening regional surveillance and detection infrastructure is critical to preventing another major health crisis. They cautioned that current weakening trends in local health systems leave the region increasingly vulnerable to unchecked outbreaks.