Africa’s Cholera Crisis Deepens: Over 117,000 Infected in 2025

Feature Image: Community gathering for water in Burundi by Herve Martiak from Pexels

As of June 17, 2025, the African continent is in the grip of an escalating cholera outbreak that has already infected 117,346 people and claimed 2,447 lives across 17 countries since the beginning of the year. According to a WHO situation report, the crisis intensified with 24,104 new cases reported in May alone across 12 African countries. Cholera-related deaths in May totalled 480.

The most severely affected countries include South Sudan, which recorded 51,054 cases and 973 deaths, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (27,008 cases, 576 deaths), and Angola (22,557 cases, 685 deaths). Other African countries reporting cholera and acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) cases during this period include Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zambia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Sudan, Cameroon, Burundi, Somalia, Congo, and Namibia.

The current outbreak reflects not only the rapid spread of the disease but also the fragility of public health systems in the face of climate extremes and ongoing conflict. In several regions, access to clean water and sanitation remains dangerously limited, with rural and flood-affected communities particularly at risk. Displacement due to conflict and disasters has further worsened the situation by crowding people into camps with little or no access to healthcare. The highly contagious nature of cholera, combined with poor infrastructure, makes it difficult to contain outbreaks once they begin. Delays in reporting, lack of surveillance, and weak laboratory systems across countries have made accurate data collection and timely response extremely challenging. WHO warns that the true scale of the outbreak is likely underestimated.

Climate change is playing a major role in fuelling the spread of cholera in Africa. Rising temperatures, more intense and erratic rainfall, and extreme weather events like floods create ideal conditions for cholera bacteria to thrive in water sources. Floodwaters often contaminate drinking water with sewage, while droughts reduce the availability of clean water, forcing communities to use unsafe alternatives. These shifts increase the chances of outbreaks, especially in areas without strong water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure. As climate-related disasters become more frequent and severe, cholera outbreaks are expected to worsen unless long-term climate-resilient public health measures are prioritized.

Efforts to curb the disease have also been hampered by a global shortage of oral cholera vaccines (OCV), despite a stabilized emergency stockpile of 5.7 million doses as of May. The demand continues to exceed supply, leaving many vulnerable populations unprotected and allowing outbreaks to expand unchecked. Furthermore, health systems across the continent are under immense strain, with many countries facing overlapping crises such as malaria surges, drought, food insecurity, and ongoing post-COVID economic disruptions.

The World Health Organization, in partnership with UNICEF, IFRC, and the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC), is urging immediate international investment to strengthen outbreak response and build long-term water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure. Cross-border coordination is being enhanced to harmonize data and allow for joint response actions in highly mobile and at-risk populations. However, in the face of growing case numbers, weakened healthcare systems, and the accelerating impacts of climate change, time is running out. Cholera is both preventable and treatable, yet in 2025, thousands continue to suffer and die simply for lack of clean water, vaccines, and timely care.

Read more about health risks here.

Read more about extreme weather here.

Read more about the socioeconomic risks of climate change here.