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The cholera outbreak in the WHO African Region in 2024 has affected 17 countries(Burundi, Cameroon, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) with one new country-Niger reporting confirmed cases. The situation is particularly severe in three countries –The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Nigeria – which are currently categorized as being in acute crisis.

The Western and Eastern subregions of the continent, now in the rainy season, are beginning to experience a resurgence in cholera outbreaks. The El Nino phenomenon caused droughts in (Zambia and Zimbabwe) and an increase in rainfall levels, causing floods and landslides in some communities of Kenya and Tanzania. This has the potential to exacerbate the increase in cholera cases and raise the risk of outbreaks in districts and countries that have not reported new confirmed cases or previously controlled cholera outbreaks. The seasonality of cholera outbreaks continues to be an issue for countries to consider. There is a need for member states to improve cholera preparedness and readiness, heightened surveillance, and scale up preventive and control measures in communities and around border crossings. This also calls for prompt identification of cases and institution of management from the communities with the establishment of oral rehydration points (ORPs) and referral to cholera treatment centres/units (CTCs/CTUs). These actions will prevent outbreaks, engender early response, and reduce cross-border transmission.

Since the beginning of the year 2024, the number of cholera cases and deaths reported to the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) as of 30 September was 127 598 and 2 266 respectively, with a case fatality ratio of 1.8%. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Nigeria Zambia, and Zimbabwe account for 78.8% (100 548) of the total cases and 86.6% (1 963) of total deaths reported this year.

In September 2024, ten countries – Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia,  Ghana, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, and the United Republic of Tanzania – reported a total of 7 924 new cases and 208 deaths (CFR = 2.6%). 

As of 30 September 2024, a cumulative total of 414 957 cholera cases, including 7 393 deaths (CFR: 1.8%), have been reported (Table 1) since 1 January 2022. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Nigeria account for 72.1% (299 009) of all cumulative cases and 65.7%     (4 857) deaths reported. Transmission is currently active in ten countries.