Africa is confronting one of its most severe cholera crises in a quarter of a century. In 2025 alone, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has recorded approximately 300,000 confirmed and suspected cases across the continent, resulting in over 7,000 deaths. This represents a more than 30 percent increase from 2024, when 254,075 cases were documented. Countries such as Angola and Burundi are experiencing renewed surges, suggesting sustained and active transmission of the disease. The rising numbers highlight the persistent vulnerability of populations to waterborne diseases in contexts marked by inadequate sanitation, overcrowding, and conflict.
Cholera, caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, spreads primarily through contaminated water and food. It leads to severe diarrhoea and dehydration, with the potential to kill previously healthy individuals within hours if left untreated. While the disease does not spread directly from person to person, the lack of safe water and poor sanitation infrastructure remains a critical factor driving the outbreaks.
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In response to the escalating crisis, Africa CDC has launched a comprehensive intervention in Angola, where at least 33,563 cholera cases and 866 deaths have been recorded in 2025. The agency has deployed essential oral cholera vaccines, prioritising high-risk populations and frontline healthcare workers, alongside ten health experts to reinforce epidemiological surveillance, laboratory capacity, case management, and infection prevention measures. The response is complemented by the provision of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) supplies to mitigate transmission and improve living conditions.
Dr. Silvia Lutucuta, Angola’s Minister of Health, praised the deployment, emphasising the critical role of health workers in controlling the outbreak. This targeted effort is guided by a three-month Incident Action Plan, coordinated through Africa CDC’s Southern Africa Regional Coordinating Centre, designed to streamline resources, strengthen surveillance, and ensure evidence-based interventions.
A Continental Framework for Cholera Elimination
Africa CDC, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations, has unveiled a continental strategy aimed at cholera elimination. This framework integrates preventive and emergency response measures, combining vaccination campaigns, rapid diagnostics, and WASH interventions with long-term investments in water infrastructure and sanitation. African leaders are urged to tackle the underlying drivers of cholera transmission, including displacement, overcrowding in refugee camps, and poor access to clean water, recognising that effective disease control depends on addressing these root causes.
Burundi has also reported an increase in cholera cases, with 2,380 infections and 10 deaths in 2025, while Sudan has emerged as a hotspot, recording 71,728 cases and 2,012 deaths. The situation in Sudan is exacerbated by ongoing conflict, which has destroyed critical water and sewage infrastructure and severely restricted access to humanitarian assistance. In the Darfur region alone, Doctors without Borders (MSF) treated over 2,300 patients in a single week, highlighting the scale of the crisis.
Cholera remains a significant public health threat worldwide, with Researchers estimate that there are 1.3 to 4.0 million cases and 21 000 to 143 000 deaths from cholera worldwide each year. Sub-Saharan Africa carries a disproportionate burden, intensified by urbanisation, climate variability, population displacement, and fragile health systems. The Africa CDC’s coordinated response, combining vaccination, expert deployment, and WASH initiatives, offers a model for regional disease control that aligns with the WHO’s Global Task Force on Cholera Control’s “Ending Cholera: A Global Roadmap to 2030.
By integrating global best practices with local context-specific strategies, African nations are progressively demonstrating that cholera can be contained through early intervention, robust public health infrastructure, and political commitment. Angola’s proactive measures, supported by Africa CDC, exemplify this approach and provide valuable lessons for neighbouring countries confronting similar outbreaks.
Towards a Continent of Resilience
Africa CDC’s interventions across Angola, Burundi, Sudan, and other affected nations underscore the continent’s determination to confront public health emergencies head-on. By combining vaccines, healthcare expertise, WASH supplies, and structured operational plans, Africa is building resilience against cholera and other infectious diseases. While challenges persist, including resource limitations, conflict, and climate-driven vulnerabilities, the continent’s coordinated response illustrates the power of regional solidarity and evidence-based public health action.
As 2025 progresses, Africa’s experience serves as a testament to the critical importance of timely intervention, effective resource mobilisation, and international collaboration. Through continued engagement with global frameworks and a commitment to strengthening health systems, the continent is charting a path towards sustainable disease control, protecting millions of lives and setting a benchmark for public health preparedness worldwide.
