KIGALI, Rwanda (October 31, 2025) – More than 6,800 people have died from cholera outbreaks sweeping across Africa this year, marking a remarkable increase compared to last year, according to data released Thursday by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
According to the data, the current outbreak has claimed the lives of 6,854 people with a case fatality ratio of 2.3% while 297,394 cases have been recorded across 23 African countries. Speaking during a virtual press conference from Namibia, Yap Boum II, deputy incident manager at the Africa CDC, said there is an increase of almost 50,000 cases compared to last year, in the two months to the end of the year.
He warned that the cases may surge further in the remaining months of the year due to torrential rains in affected countries if action measures are not implemented on time. "We keep on seeing a rapid increase in cholera. One of the simple indicators is that when we compare 2022 to 2025, which has not even ended, we can see that we have almost tripled both the number of cases and deaths, showing how cholera has been increasing over the years," Boum emphasized, underscoring the urgency of the situation.
The most affected countries are Angola and Burundi, attributed to poor sanitation coupled with a lack of access to adequate clean water. “There is an escalation of cholera in Burundi, while Angola is experiencing an exponential second wave,” he said. Declines have been observed in South Sudan, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo over recent weeks, according to Africa CDC, but the countries remain with the highest burden.
Cholera, a bacterial infection, is caused by consuming contaminated water or food. The disease spreads rapidly in areas with inadequate sanitation, overcrowding, and limited access to clean water, leading to severe dehydration and death if untreated. Simple interventions like oral rehydration salts can save lives, but strained health systems in many African nations have pushed the case fatality rate above the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended threshold of 1%.
This year's toll already surpasses the entire 2024 figure of 4,725 deaths across 20 countries, representing a 151% increase from a decade ago when 1,882 fatalities were recorded. Globally, cholera has claimed 6,508 lives in the first nine months of 2025 alone, with Africa bearing 60% of cases and 93.5% of deaths as of May. The African continent's disproportionate burden highlights systemic vulnerabilities exacerbated by climate change, conflict, and underinvestment in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure.
In Angola, the epicenter of the crisis, over 7,500 cases and 294 deaths were reported in the first quarter, with children under 15 accounting for 40% of infections. The country's second wave, fueled by heavy rains and flooding, has overwhelmed health facilities in 14 provinces. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams have treated thousands, but warn that without sustained vaccine campaigns and sanitation upgrades, the outbreak could spiral further. Burundi, meanwhile, has seen a sharp escalation, with cases doubling in recent months due to displacement from ongoing instability and seasonal floods.
South Sudan grapples with its worst outbreak in two decades, reporting over 93,000 cases and 1,500 deaths since last year. Children comprise half of the victims, a stark reminder of the disease's toll on the vulnerable. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), more than 58,000 cases and 1,700 deaths have been logged in nine months, with MSF describing the situation as "intensifying" amid collapsed health systems in North Kivu. Sudan, ravaged by civil war, faces a parallel catastrophe: conflict has displaced 14 million, collapsed healthcare, and triggered cholera surges, with reports of mass atrocities compounding the humanitarian nightmare.
Emerging hotspots add to the alarm. In Kenya's Narok County, 138 cases and five deaths were confirmed as of October 22, prompting MSF, the Ministry of Health, and the Kenya Red Cross to launch urgent containment efforts in Transmara. Rwanda, the host of this week's conference, reported its first cases in March, though no deaths have occurred yet. Even nations like Namibia and the Republic of Congo show glimmers of progress—zero confirmed cases in a recent week in Congo, thanks to WHO-supported treatment centers—but experts caution against complacency.
The resurgence traces back to a decade of escalating trends: from 105,287 cases in 2014 to 254,075 in 2024. Climate shocks, including El Niño-induced droughts and floods, have destroyed water infrastructure and displaced millions, creating perfect breeding grounds for Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium behind the disease. In Eastern and Southern Africa, over 178,000 cases were confirmed from January 2024 to March 2025 across 16 countries, with UNICEF highlighting how cyclones like Dikeledi in January devastated Mozambique and Madagascar. Conflict zones, from Sudan's Darfur to DRC's eastern provinces, further hinder access to aid, with funding gaps leaving health systems on the brink.
Africa CDC attributes the crisis to "inadequate access to clean water and sanitation, compounded by strained health systems and overlapping public health emergencies" like mpox and measles. As of October, mpox has infected over 202,900 across 30 countries with 2,086 deaths, while measles claims 1,086 lives in 20 nations. These concurrent threats stretch resources thin, with U.S. aid cuts post-January exacerbating gaps in WASH support.
Yet, hope lies in coordinated action. In June, 10 African heads of state, led by Zambia's President Hakainde Hichilema, pledged to accelerate investments in cross-border coordination and vaccines under the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC) Roadmap to 2030. The goal: slash deaths by 90% and eliminate cholera in 20 countries by decade's end. August saw the launch of the Continental Cholera Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan 1.0 by Africa CDC and WHO, establishing a joint Incident Management Support Team to unify responses under a "one plan, one budget" model.
Key pillars include hotspot mapping in five nations—Uganda, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and Ghana—to target WASH interventions and oral cholera vaccines (OCV). Africa needs 54 million OCV doses annually but receives half; Zambia's October pact with China's Jijia Medical Technology aims to boost local production in Lusaka, pending WHO approval. The Cholera Genomic Consortium in Africa (CholGEN), piloting sequencing in seven high-burden countries, traces strains—like Malawi's 2023 outbreak linked to Pakistan via floods—enabling predictive surveillance.
On the ground, community heroes shine. In Cameroon's Far North, EU-funded Red Cross volunteer Rouyatou detected an outbreak early, averting wider spread. MSF's work in Kenya and South Sudan emphasizes rapid case management, while WHO's oral rehydration points in Congo have driven fatalities to zero in key areas.
As torrential rains loom, Boum called for "bold leadership and systemic change." African Union Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf echoed this in June: "The people of Africa are watching." With 23 countries still battling active transmission, the stakes are existential. Ending cholera demands not just vaccines and treatments, but equitable WASH access—a human right long denied to 120 million in Eastern and Southern Africa alone.
Experts like WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Hichilema warn: "Cholera persists not for lack of science, but political will." A recent Livingstone consultation of 90 experts from 20 countries forged a renewed strategy, integrating health, water sectors, and partners like UNICEF and GAVI. Success stories, from Namibia's zero cases since 2014 to Rwanda's vigilant preparedness, prove it's possible.
As 2025 draws to a close, Africa's cholera fight tests continental resolve. With global stocks of OCV rebounding to 5.2 million doses in September—the first surplus in months—momentum builds. But without $1.5 billion in pledged funding and cross-border solidarity, experts fear another record year. For the 25 million facing hunger and 14 million displaced, cholera is no ancient scourge—it's a daily peril demanding action now.
