Congo-Kinshasa: Cholera Cases Spike Amid Fight Against Ebola

What the report says

The World Health Organization says cholera is continuing to spread in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the country also confronts an Ebola outbreak that is stretching already limited health resources. In figures cited by UN News and republished by AllAfrica, more than 125,000 suspected cholera cases and 3,644 suspected deaths were recorded between January 2025 and the end of September 2026. Since the start of 2026, the WHO says more than 51,000 suspected cases and 1,487 deaths have been reported across 21 provinces.

The health agency says the hardest-hit areas include South Kivu, North Kivu and Haut-Katanga, which together account for nearly 60% of suspected cases. It also reported a recent weekly increase, with 2,932 suspected cases and 86 deaths in the latest surveillance period, up from the previous week. New affected health zones were identified in Tshuapa and South Kivu, while security problems and difficult terrain are limiting access for response teams in parts of the east.

WHO links the spread to poor access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as contaminated well water and rainfall runoff. Response measures under way include water chlorination, household and latrine disinfection, and oral vaccination planning along the Congo River corridor. The agency also noted joint vaccination planning with the Republic of Congo.

The cholera surge is unfolding alongside an Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC, where WHO says the response is being supported by the agency and partners. The parallel emergencies matter because both diseases can spread quickly in areas with weak health infrastructure and delayed treatment access.