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The cholera outbreak in the WHO African Region has affected 18 countries over the last two years. The Ministry of Health of Comoros declared an outbreak on 2 February 2024 making it the latest country. Six countries are categorized as being in acute crisis1 (Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mozambique, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe). The southern region of the continent, now in the rainy season, is seeing resurging outbreaks. The increase in rainfall levels is causing floods in communities and landslides, with a heightened risk of outbreaks in countries not reporting new confirmed cases. The seasonality of cholera outbreaks is an issue for countries to consider, and there is a need to enhance preparedness and readiness, heighten surveillance, and institute preventive and control measures in communities and around border crossings to prevent and mitigate cross-border transmission.

In Epidemiologic week 06 of 2024, eight countries- Burundi, Comoros, Ethiopia, Mozambique, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe- reported a total of 4 122 new cases. Transmission is currently active in 15 countries with no recent report of new cases from Eswatini (last case reported April 18), Republic of the Congo (last case reported 26 July), and South Sudan (last case reported May 16).

Since the beginning of the year, as of 11 February 2024, the number of cholera cases and deaths reported to the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) was 34 511 and 869 deaths, respectively, with a case fatality ratio of 2.5%.

As of 11 February 2024, since 1 January 2022, a cumulative total of 321 286 cholera cases, including 5 969 deaths with a case fatality ratio (CFR) of 1.9% had been reported. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Nigeria account for 74.5% (239 366) of the cumulative cases and 67.0% (3 998) of all cumulative deaths reported.