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The cholera outbreak in the WHO African Region currently affects 14 countries in the region. The climate-induced natural disasters such as cyclone and flooding in the southern African region and drought in the Horn of Africa led to increase in cases of cholera in the affected countries. With the rainy season commencing in the west African region there is the risk of more cholera outbreaks on the horizon. The trend across the region is being closely monitored and this highlights the need for Member States to enhance readiness, heighten surveillance and institute preventive and control measures in communities and at the ports of entry to prevent and mitigate cross-border infection.

Since January 2022, the cumulative number of 184 561 cholera cases have been reported, including 3 541 deaths with a case fatality ratio (CFR = 1.9%) as of 7 May 2023 reported to the WHO Regional Office for Africa (Table 1). Malawi accounts for 32% (58 557) of the total cases and 50% (1 756) of all deaths reported, and together with Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, and Nigeria contribute to 90% (165 523) of the overall caseload and 92% (3 243) of cumulative deaths.

The cholera outbreaks in the African Region are occurring in the context of natural disasters such as cyclones (Mozambique, Malawi), flooding (Mozambique, Malawi), drought (Kenya and Ethiopia), conflict (Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Ethiopia) and multiple disease outbreaks including Mpox, wild polio, measles, COVID-19 pandemic, etc. Many countries have limited and strained resources, a shortage of medical commodities, including cholera kits and Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV). Poor sanitation and unreliable water supplies with increased cross-border movements also serve as driving factors for the outbreak across the region.

With the effective response mounted in countries, a few non-endemic countries will soon begin to declare the outbreak over in the coming weeks.