DRC Battles Worst Cholera Outbreak in 25 Years | 2018 © Carl Theunis/MSF
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is confronting its worst cholera outbreak in a quarter-century, with more than 1,300 suspected cases and 35 deaths reported since January 1, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The outbreak concentrated in overcrowded displacement camps and areas with limited access to clean water and sanitation has put intense strain on already fragile health systems across the country.
Cholera is a fast-spreading diarrhoeal disease that can be deadly without prompt treatment. In the DRC’s current outbreak, cases have surged in several provinces where conflict and displacement have disrupted public health infrastructure, forcing many to live in crowded conditions with inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene services.
In response, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has released $750,000 in emergency funding to support humanitarian partners on the ground. The funds are intended to help expand life-saving assistance, including treatment supplies, water purification efforts and health worker support to contain transmission and reduce fatalities.
“The scale of this outbreak demands an urgent and scaled-up humanitarian response,” OCHA said in a statement, urging additional and flexible financing from international donors to strengthen health services in affected areas.
Cholera thrives in environments where sanitation is poor and clean water is scarce conditions that have been aggravated by internal displacement linked to ongoing violence in eastern provinces. Fighting among armed groups and government forces has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom now live in makeshift camps with insufficient access to essential services, creating fertile ground for disease outbreaks.
Aid organisations are racing to deliver chlorine tablets, rehydration salts and mobile treatment units, while also conducting community awareness campaigns about hygiene practices to slow the spread of infection. However, logistical challenges and continuing insecurity complicate efforts to reach all affected populations.
The DRC has faced repeated cholera challenges in recent years, but health authorities and humanitarian partners say the current surge occurring alongside other public health strains is particularly severe. It underscores longstanding deficits in water infrastructure and health financing across the vast central African nation.
Local health workers, many of whom are operating with limited protective equipment and supplies, are on the front lines, treating dehydrated patients and monitoring suspected cases. International agencies, including the World Health Organization and UNICEF, are also active in response efforts, bolstering surveillance and treatment facilities in the hardest-hit regions.
Officials emphasise that early detection and rapid response are critical to keeping the outbreak from worsening. But they warn that without sustained and increased funding, the disease could continue to spread, putting more lives at risk particularly among vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly and internally displaced persons.
