The Democratic Republic of the Congo is grappling with its worst cholera outbreak in 25 years, which has killed nearly 2,000 people since January, the U.N. children’s agency (UNICEF) said on Monday.
In one tragic instance, a quarter of the children in a Kinshasa orphanage -16 out of 62 – died within days after the disease swept through, UNICEF reported. Ongoing conflict, widespread displacement, and limited access to clean water are intensifying the crisis, the agency warned, stressing the urgent need for more funding for sanitation, hygiene, and health services.
Since the start of the year, authorities have recorded 64,427 cholera cases and 1,888 deaths, including 14,818 infections and 340 fatalities among children, according to UNICEF. Seventeen of the country’s 26 provinces are currently affected.
Access to basic water and sanitation remains alarmingly low: only 43% of Congolese have basic water services, the lowest rate in Africa, and just 15% use basic sanitation facilities.
Although the government has developed a cholera elimination plan with a proposed budget of $192 million, it remains severely underfunded. UNICEF said it is appealing for about $6 million for 2026 to maintain rapid-response operations. “Without additional funds and coordinated action, many more lives could be lost”, UNICEF spokesperson, John Agbor warned.
Agbor emphasized that “Congolese children should not be so gravely affected by what is a wholly preventable disease”.
African health authorities recently raised the alarm over rising cholera cases across Angola, Burundi, and other parts of the continent, noting a 30% increase compared to last year.
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