Southern and Eastern Africa: Cholera Situation Snapshot (As of February 2025)

OVERVIEW

In 2024, Southern and Eastern African countries faced the deadliest cholera outbreak of the past decade with more than 175,000 cases reported, as of 31 December. High number of cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Somalia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, amid water scarcity, infrastructure issues, recurrent flooding and conflict. In 2025, 14 countries have reported active cholera outbreaks, including a new outbreak in Angola, and resurgence in cases in Uganda and Zambia. Partners estimate the caseload could be higher due to inadequate testing capacities in some areas.

Cholera is one of the most urgent health emergencies globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Some of these outbreaks were first reported in 2022 and 2023. Countries struggle to keep up with the increasing caseload, as they face other health emergencies (mpox, Marburg, measles and Ebola), conflict, climate hazards and natural disasters, displacement and migration. Limited access to safe water and inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services further exacerbate the crisis.

Partners are also concerned about cross-border infections, e.g. between Uganda and South Sudan, and from the crisis in Sudan. Humanitarians continue to intervene with vaccination and treatment, awareness activities and community engagement. However, limited medical, financial and human resources continue to impact humanitarian partners’ ability to respond.