Cholera spreads across borders in West and Central Africa

Key facts

• Cholera outbreaks are active in six countries across West and Central Africa, spread along two major transmission corridors
• Nigeria has the region’s largest outbreak: over 50,000 cases and 338 deaths since 1 January
• The DRC has recorded the highest death toll: nearly 700 deaths from more than 30,400 cases
• UNICEF is calling for $15 million in additional funding to scale up its response over the next six months

Seasonal rains, flooding, population displacement and cross-border transmission are accelerating the spread of the sometimes-deadly waterborne disease, which is both preventable and treatable.

Transmission corridors

The outbreaks are concentrated along two major routes. In the Lake Chad Basin, the same Vibrio cholerae O1 Ogawa strain is affecting Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria. 

In the Congo River Basin, outbreaks are linking the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Flooding along both corridors is contaminating water sources, damaging sanitation infrastructure and cutting off access to vulnerable communities.

Children are bearing a disproportionate share of the burden. In CAR, children under 10 account for 44 per cent of reported cases. In Chad, nearly two-thirds of infections are among children under 15. In Cameroon, the median age of patients is just 10.

Hardest hit

Nigeria has the largest outbreak in the region, with more than 50,000 cumulative cases and 338 deaths recorded since 1 January, driven largely by a major outbreak in Borno state.

The DRC has reported more than 30,400 cases and nearly 700 deaths – the highest death toll of any affected country.

Call for urgent funding

“This outbreak is no longer confined by borders,” said Gilles Fagninou, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa on Tuesday. “It is moving along shared rivers, trade routes and population movements, putting millions of children at risk.”

He said every new infection was a reminder that millions of children are still being denied access to safe water, and that stopping cholera required urgency, investment and regional solidarity.

UNICEF and partners, working with national and sub-national authorities, are expanding access to safe water and sanitation, strengthening disease surveillance, supplying essential health materials and supporting oral cholera vaccination campaigns. 

The agency is also coordinating with the World Health Organization and Africa CDC along key transmission routes.