Cholera cases in Africa surge to 3 times higher than reported in 2022

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Cholera remains a “major battle” in Africa, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which warned Thursday of more cases as the rainy season begins in most affected countries.

The Africa CDC said the number of cases of cholera stands at three times higher than those reported in 2022. Five countries account for almost 90% of the more than 300,000 cases reported so far this year, it said, with more than 7,000 people dying from the disease.

Last week, the body said the continent was experiencing the worst cholera outbreak in 25 years.

Cholera is a waterborne infectious disease spread through contaminated food and water, leading to diarrhea and dehydration.

Congo has reported the highest number of cases in the ongoing outbreak, and health officials are also concerned about Angola’s high transmission rate. Other countries with a large number of cases include Sudan, South Sudan, and Nigeria.

The Africa CDC has called for the strengthening of water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure in African countries to help prevent the spread of the disease.

“44% of the population in Angola lacks access to safe drinking water, and only about 55% has sanitation,” said Yap Boum II, the Africa CDC's deputy incident manager.

Cameroon is the latest African country to report cases, with two cases near its border with Nigeria. Africa CDC noted a challenge in access to the region due to its rocky and mountainous terrain, but said outbreak control measures had been activated in both Cameroon and Nigeria.

A total of 24 countries in Africa have recorded the outbreak, and health officials are using existing outbreak response systems to control it.