Cholera Outbreak in Africa: Death Toll Exceeds 2,400 with Major Impact in South Sudan and DRC

The cholera death toll in Africa has surpassed 2,400, mainly affecting South Sudan, DRC, Angola, and Sudan. The Africa CDC reports over 115,000 cases across the continent. The situation is dire, and enhanced coordination is needed to combat the outbreaks, which are worsened by inadequate access to clean water and ongoing conflicts.

The troubling cholera situation in Africa has escalated, with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reporting over 2,400 deaths as of mid-May 2025. Specifically, 115,513 cholera cases have emerged across several nations, with South Sudan being the most affected, as it has grimly recorded 848 deaths from this lethal disease.

Alongside South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Angola, and Sudan are also grappling with severe outbreaks. The DRC has lost 513 lives to cholera while Angola has seen 609 deaths. Collectively, these four countries account for a staggering 84% of reported cases and an alarming 92% of cholera-related fatalities this year.

Yap Boum II, deputy incident manager for mpox at the Africa CDC, described the outbreaks as particularly severe during an online media briefing, emphasizing the dire need for a unified response. Boum remarked, “A coordinated regional and continental response is urgently needed to control the spread of cholera outbreaks across Africa,” highlighting the pressing issues of access to clean water and strained healthcare systems in many regions.

The Africa CDC underscores that the pervasive spread of cholera is largely rooted in the lack of safe water. This continues to complicate existing public health crises across the continent, compounded by other disease outbreaks. Boum’s statements reflect the urgent need for measures that would alleviate the multi-faceted challenges that are hampering effective responses.

In light of the rising toll, the Africa CDC is prepared to adapt and replicate strategies that proved effective in combatting mpox in the past. Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, Principal Advisor to the Director General, noted that “Lessons learned from the mpox response, especially the need for close collaboration with other partners, will now be applied to fighting cholera.”

Reports from UNICEF indicate that between January 2024 and March 2025, more than 178,000 cholera cases were confirmed in 16 eastern and southern African countries, leading to over 1,600 deaths. Alongside South Sudan, the DRC, and Angola, countries like Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Zambia also struggled against rising cholera cases. Alarmingly, conflict emerges as a significant factor aggravating these outbreaks, particularly in the hardest-hit regions.

To mobilize a robust response, Africa CDC is reinforcing its Incident Management Support Team (IMST), a collaborative effort with the World Health Organisation and various partners like UNICEF and Gavi. The ongoing strategy focuses on a more integrated approach to managing multiple disease threats, including cholera, measles, and chickenpox. Ngongo elaborated, “We are now strengthening the key pillars like surveillance and laboratory, to ensure enough capacity on the continent to address other ongoing outbreaks.”

Despite these efforts, experts in public health emphasize that addressing the underlying causes of cholera is essential. This means improving water quality, sanitation, and hygiene to effectively combat the disease. Concerns also remain about conflict and insecurity, which pose additional barriers to progress in affected areas. Ngongo further called for a robust pooled procurement mechanism in Africa to boost local production of cholera vaccines, highlighting the vaccine shortages faced in recent years.

As the cholera crisis deepens across the continent, urgent action and collaboration among nations is necessary to stem the tide of this deadly outbreak.

The cholera outbreak in Africa has become a severe public health crisis, particularly affecting South Sudan, the DRC, Angola, and Sudan. With over 2,400 recorded deaths and more than 115,000 cases, the Africa CDC is urging a coordinated response to combat the spread of the disease. Essential strategies from previous disease outbreaks are being repurposed to tackle this crisis, though experts stress the importance of addressing root issues like water quality and sanitation to effectively mitigate cholera’s impact. Without urgent and comprehensive action, many lives remain at risk.

Original Source: eastleighvoice.co.ke