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Africa Grapples with Worst Cholera Outbreak in Over Two Decades
(MENAFN) Africa is confronting its most catastrophic cholera epidemic in a quarter-century, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cautioned, as infection and fatality figures continue their alarming ascent.
During a press conference Thursday, Africa CDC Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya disclosed that approximately 300,000 confirmed and suspected cholera cases, alongside over 7,000 deaths, have been documented throughout 2025.
He identified conflict, mass population displacement, congested living conditions and insufficient access to potable water and sanitation infrastructure as catalysts for the explosion in cases. "Cholera is still a major issue," Kaseya stated.
Security breakdowns and deficiencies in water, sanitation and hygiene resources are intensifying the crisis, he added.
In June, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attributed the case surge to many of the same factors emphasized by Kaseya, including armed conflicts. "So far this year, Africa has reported two-thirds of all cholera cases globally, and 99% of all cholera-related deaths," he noted.
Africa CDC's data reveals Sudan and South Sudan as the hardest-hit nations, each reporting over 70,000 cases. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has similarly shouldered a substantial burden, with 61,000 documented cases and 1,815 deaths in 2025.
Multiple additional nations are battling rapidly escalating outbreaks. In Angola, infections have skyrocketed in recent weeks, with tens of thousands of cases and hundreds of fatalities reported. Burundi has experienced a dramatic spike as well, recording more than 2,000 cases, according to the latest Africa CDC data.
Cholera is a bacterial disease that spreads through contaminated food or water and causes severe diarrhea and dehydration. Without immediate treatment, it can become life-threatening, although it does not spread through ordinary person-to-person contact.
Despite not being endemic to South Africa, the nation periodically experiences isolated cholera outbreaks traced to imported cases. Responding to the mounting continental threat, South Africa has initiated its inaugural clinical trial of a domestically manufactured oral cholera vaccine, the Health Ministry announced Tuesday.
During a press conference Thursday, Africa CDC Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya disclosed that approximately 300,000 confirmed and suspected cholera cases, alongside over 7,000 deaths, have been documented throughout 2025.
He identified conflict, mass population displacement, congested living conditions and insufficient access to potable water and sanitation infrastructure as catalysts for the explosion in cases. "Cholera is still a major issue," Kaseya stated.
Security breakdowns and deficiencies in water, sanitation and hygiene resources are intensifying the crisis, he added.
In June, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attributed the case surge to many of the same factors emphasized by Kaseya, including armed conflicts. "So far this year, Africa has reported two-thirds of all cholera cases globally, and 99% of all cholera-related deaths," he noted.
Africa CDC's data reveals Sudan and South Sudan as the hardest-hit nations, each reporting over 70,000 cases. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has similarly shouldered a substantial burden, with 61,000 documented cases and 1,815 deaths in 2025.
Multiple additional nations are battling rapidly escalating outbreaks. In Angola, infections have skyrocketed in recent weeks, with tens of thousands of cases and hundreds of fatalities reported. Burundi has experienced a dramatic spike as well, recording more than 2,000 cases, according to the latest Africa CDC data.
Cholera is a bacterial disease that spreads through contaminated food or water and causes severe diarrhea and dehydration. Without immediate treatment, it can become life-threatening, although it does not spread through ordinary person-to-person contact.
Despite not being endemic to South Africa, the nation periodically experiences isolated cholera outbreaks traced to imported cases. Responding to the mounting continental threat, South Africa has initiated its inaugural clinical trial of a domestically manufactured oral cholera vaccine, the Health Ministry announced Tuesday.
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