Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warns fragile water systems and conflict are driving continent-wide emergency…reports Asian Lite News
Africa is contending with its worst cholera outbreak in a quarter of a century, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has said, as the continent’s top health agency linked the deepening crisis to fragile water systems, displacement and persistent conflict. In a briefing to reporters, officials said the scale of the surge underscored the vulnerability of millions of people who lack access to clean, reliable water supplies.
According to the Africa CDC, the continent has recorded about 300,000 confirmed and suspected cholera infections so far this year, alongside more than 7,000 deaths. The figures represent a rise of more than 30 per cent compared with total cases documented last year, marking one of the sharpest annual increases since large-scale cholera epidemics hit parts of East and Southern Africa in the late 1990s.
The agency said the rapid escalation had been fuelled by a combination of environmental stresses and man-made pressures: crumbling water infrastructure, rapid urbanisation without adequate sanitation investment, and ongoing conflict that has forced millions into overcrowded camps lacking even basic waste treatment. In several countries, heavy seasonal rains and flooding have also accelerated the contamination of rivers and boreholes that communities rely on for drinking water.
Angola and Burundi have experienced particularly steep spikes, Africa CDC data shows, with health authorities overwhelmed by new infections in districts where access to safely treated water is scarce. In both countries, recurring droughts and years of limited investment in rural water networks have compounded existing health risks. Local clinics and cholera treatment units have reported shortages of oral rehydration solutions and antibiotics, while vaccination teams struggle to reach remote villages cut off by poor roads or insecurity.
Cholera, a severe and sometimes fatal diarrhoeal illness caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with the *Vibrio cholerae* bacterium, can kill within hours if untreated. It spreads swiftly in places where sewage systems fail to separate waste from drinking water. Outbreaks are often concentrated in informal urban settlements and in areas where conflict has shattered public services.
Despite the bleak continent-wide trend, the agency pointed to signs of progress in several hotspots. The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the worst-affected countries earlier this year, “appeared to be under control” with total cases now in decline, according to the Africa CDC. Health workers have credited aggressive community engagement campaigns, improved surveillance and expanded access to safe water trucking for helping slow transmission in key provinces.
Similarly, the situation in South Sudan and Somalia has improved, with both countries reporting fewer new infections in recent weeks. In Somalia, local health officials say the coordination of humanitarian partners helped reinforce chlorination systems at key water points and expand distribution of treatment kits. In South Sudan, health teams have stepped up early detection efforts in border counties traditionally vulnerable to cross-border disease spread.
Even as cholera remains the continent’s most urgent health emergency, the Africa CDC is monitoring other potential threats. Officials said Ethiopia had detected eight suspected cases of viral haemorrhagic fever and was awaiting laboratory results to determine the exact cause of the illness. Rapid response teams have been deployed to investigate and contain the suspected outbreak, underscoring the agency’s concern that overstretched health systems could struggle to manage multiple public-health shocks at once.
The briefing also highlighted the evolving situation with Mpox, the viral disease that has caused outbreaks across several African countries over the past two years. While the Africa CDC said cases were declining in some of the worst-hit regions, it warned the disease “remains a concern” in Kenya, Guinea, Liberia and Ghana. Public-health officials in these countries are continuing surveillance, contact-tracing and vaccination efforts amid fears that persistent transmission in rural areas could seed further spread.
The overlapping outbreaks pose a mounting challenge for governments already grappling with economic pressures, climate-related disasters and the lingering effects of pandemic-era budget cuts. Health experts say the cholera crisis, in particular, reflects structural failures that can only be addressed through large-scale, long-term investment in water, sanitation and hygiene — often referred to as WASH infrastructure — alongside stronger emergency response mechanisms.
Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that the expansion of informal settlements, combined with conflict that has displaced millions over the past decade, has pushed water systems beyond breaking point. In many urban centres, population growth has far outstripped municipal water treatment capacity, leaving residents reliant on unsafe informal water vendors or contaminated wells. In rural regions, climate shocks — from droughts to flooding — have eroded water security and heightened disease exposure.
The Africa CDC’s warning comes amid renewed calls for global funding to help expand cholera vaccination campaigns, strengthen laboratory surveillance and equip local health teams with the supplies needed to manage outbreaks swiftly. Although cholera can be effectively treated with rehydration and prevented through improved sanitation, the speed at which it spreads in overcrowded, underserved communities means response delays can quickly prove deadly.
As the continent confronts its most serious cholera crisis in 25 years, health authorities say a coordinated, well-resourced approach is crucial. Without structural improvements to water and sanitation systems, and without immediate support to frontline responders, they fear the outbreak could intensify further — with the brunt falling once again on communities already facing instability, displacement and deep poverty.
