Angola: Cholera Outbreak - Jan 2025

In Luanda on January 7th out of 25 suspected cases of cholera, 5 deaths were reported. On January 8th, over 30 suspected cases of cholera were recorded in the same area of Luanda province. The rapid escalation of suspected cases indicates potential for a continued worsening outbreak. Other areas of concern noted by Ministry of Health include the northern provinces that border DRC, where outbreaks of cholera have been reported in the past. Combined with heavy rainfall, poor sanitation and limited access to clean water, the risk of floods and water-borne diseases is exacerbated. INAMET - National Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics - predicts above-average rainfall for the current rainy season. Flood risk for Angola is high during this period of time. (IFRC, 10 Jan 2025)

By January 11th, 170 suspected cases were recorded with 30 conrmed cases across 3 provinces (Luanda, Bengo, Icolo & Bengo). By January 17th, 422 cases have been reported with 24 deaths leading to a high case fatality rate (5.7%) (IFRC, 21 Jan 2025)

Since the beginning of the outbreak, a cumulative total of 1,081 cases have been reported, 748 in the Province of Luanda, 201 in the Province of Icolo and Bengo, 124 in the Province of Bengo, 3 in the Province of Malanje, 3 in the Province of Huambo and 2 in Province of Huíla, aged between 2 and 86 years, of which 527 (49.0%) male and 554 (51.0%) female. There were 45 deaths, of which 32 in the Province of Luanda (Cacuaco: 24, Mulenvos: 3, Sambizanga: 2 and 1 in Belas, Cazenga, Kilamba Kiaxi); 8 in the Province of Bengo (Panguila: 4, Dande: 3 and Barra do Dande: 1) and 5 in the Province of Icolo and Bengo, in the Municipality of Sequele, aged between 2 and 69 years, of whom 31 (69.0%) were male and 14 (31.0%) were female. (UNICEF, 27 Jan 2025)

Following a plateau in the last two weeks, cholera cases have dropped for the first time in Angola since the onset of the outbreak. In epidemiological week 8 (17 - 23 February 2025), a total of 807 cases with 33 deaths were reported across the country. Most (96.3%) of the new cases were reported from Luanda (n=437), Bengo (n=256), and Icolo e Bengo (n=84). Cumulatively, 4914 cases with 180 deaths (CFR 3.7%) have been reported from 10 provinces across the country. (WHO, 27 Feb 2025)

The cholera outbreak in Angola continues to unfold, with an increasing number of cases and widespread geographic expansion. Since our last update in Weekly Bulletin 7 (10–16 February 2025), the outbreak has spread to five additional provinces, namely; Benguela, Bié, Cabinda, Cubango, and Uíge, bringing the total affected provinces to 15. From 17 February to 23 March 2025, a total of 4 436 cases with 182 deaths were reported. The highest number of new cases were recorded in Luanda (n = 2 177), Bengo (n = 899), Cuanza Norte (n = 488), Icolo e Bengo (n = 320), and Benguela (n = 222) provinces, accounting for 92.6% of new infections. Most new deaths were reported from Luanda (n = 95), Cuanza Norte (n = 38), Bengo (n = 29), and Benguela (n = 9), constituting 94.0% of new deaths. From 31 December 2024 to 23 March 2025, a cumulative total of 8 543 cholera cases with 329 deaths (CFR 3.9%) have been reported from 15 provinces across the country. The majority of the cases and deaths remain concentrated in three provinces: Luanda (4143 cases, 154 deaths), Bengo (2485 cases, 95 deaths), Icolo e Bengo (813 cases, 21 deaths), Cuanza Norte (490 cases, 38 deaths), Benguela (222 cases, 9 deaths), and Malange (211 cases, 6 deaths), which together account for 97.9% of the cases and 98.2% of the deaths. (WHO, 27 Mar 2025)

In epidemiological week 15 (week ending 13 April 2025), a total of 1,419 new cases with 65 deaths were reported across the country, marking a 21.9% increase in new cases compared to the previous week. Cholera-associated deaths also increased by 160% during the same period. Cumulatively, 12,368 cases with 473 deaths (CFR 3.82%) have been reported from 17 provinces across the country. (WHO, 18 Apr 2025)