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CRISIS IMPACT OVERVIEW
• From 1 January to 28 July 2025, at least 38,000 cases of cholera, including almost 1,000 deaths, were reported in 17 of the 26 provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (Africa CDC 28/07/2025; Radio Okapi 26/07/2025). This is already 19% higher than the total 31,700 cases registered throughout 2024 (WHO 28/01/2025). Several other countries in Africa have also declared a cholera outbreak, including South Sudan and Angola, but the highest number of deaths (193) was reported in the DRC in June. This is likely because of limited access to vaccines and healthcare, with conflict compounding the situation (WHO 24/07/2025).
• The DRC declared the outbreak in May, and cases have been increasing since June, particularly in areas affected by floods (such as Sud-Kivu and Tanganyika in the east and Kinshasa and Kongo-Central in the west) (WHO 24/07/2025; MSF 16/07/2025; RFI 12/07/2025). The provinces of Haut-Katanga, Maniema, Sankuru, and Tshopo are also affected, with various risk factors including conflict, population displacement, flooding, and logistical constraints that delay the response in these areas (WHO 17/06/2025).
• Cholera is endemic in eastern DRC, but the sharp increase in cases in 2025 is unusual. The first 13 cases in Lomera (Sud-Kivu) were reported on 20 April; within two weeks, that number had soared by 700% to 190 cases — a figure likely higher because cases tend to be underreported given poor healthcare access (MSF 01/07/2025).
• The rapid spread of the disease is likely owing to several factors: contaminated water sources caused by flooding, a weak healthcare system, limited access to sanitation and hygiene, and large-scale population movement – namely, the return of IDPs from Goma to villages in the eastern provinces (UNHCR 03/2025). This increases the risk of the outbreak spreading to areas with poor WASH infrastructure, complicating the response (Oxfam 24/07/2025; UNICEF 04/05/2025; The EastAfrican 15/07/2025).
• Cholera is endemic in the eastern provinces of the DRC. From 2000–2021, more than half of all the suspected cholera cases in the DRC’s endemic provinces were recorded in SudKivu (30.1%) and Nord-Kivu (25.3%) (BMC 22/08/2023).
• The country is also experiencing an escalation of conflict in the east. Despite peace efforts, confrontations between the March 23 Movement (M23) and the national army continue, affecting civil society and causing civilian casualties and massive displacement (IPIS 23/07/2025; WFP 16/06/2025). Prior to the cholera outbreak, an estimated 22 million people were already projected to need humanitarian assistance in the DRC in 2025 (OCHA 14/02/2025)