Overview
- Since January, authorities have recorded 64,427 cholera cases and 1,888 deaths across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to UNICEF.
- Seventeen of the country’s 26 provinces are affected, reflecting widespread transmission across the vast nation.
- Children have been hit hard with 14,818 infections and 340 deaths, including a fatal cluster where 16 of 62 children at a Kinshasa orphanage died within days.
- Conflict and severe shortages of clean water and sanitation are fueling the outbreak, with only 43% of people having basic water services and 15% using basic sanitation.
- The government’s $192 million elimination plan remains underfunded as UNICEF appeals for about $6 million for 2026 to sustain rapid response work, while African health officials report a roughly 30% regional rise in cases including in Angola and Burundi.