WHO reports more than 125,000 suspected cholera cases and 3,644 suspected deaths in DR Congo

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that more than 125,000 suspected cholera cases and 3,644 suspected deaths were recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between January 2025 and the end of September 2026. UN News, the United Nations' own news service, reported the figures. WHO is itself a UN agency, so this account rests on one part of the UN describing the work of another.

WHO said the epidemic continues to spread. Since the beginning of 2026, it said, more than 51,412 suspected cases, including 1,487 deaths, have been reported in 21 provinces. All of these counts are of suspected cases. The sources do not say how many were confirmed by laboratory test.

Health authorities recorded 2,932 suspected cases and 86 deaths from 21 to 28 September, WHO said. The previous week they had recorded 2,506 cases and 62 deaths.

The provinces of South Kivu, North Kivu and Haut-Katanga account for nearly 60 per cent of reported suspected cases, according to WHO. It said transmission remains high in provinces where cholera is endemic. During the latest surveillance period, four new health zones were affected: three in Tshuapa province and one in South Kivu.

UN News described cholera as “a severe diarrhoeal disease that can be fatal within hours if not treated.” It said the spread is fueled by a lack of access to clean water and sanitation infrastructure.

WHO said the response faces security and logistical problems. In the east, insecurity restricts access for medical teams to certain areas, particularly Kibua and Masisi. Villages that lie far from health facilities see delayed treatment, which raises the risk of death, WHO warned. It added that well water and rainfall, which can carry contaminated water to sources used by households, help the disease spread.

Response teams are preparing to install four water chlorination sites in the most affected areas of North Kivu. In Tanganyika, plans are underway to disinfect nearly 4,000 households and 5,900 latrines. Preparations continue for an oral vaccination campaign in the islands along the Congo River corridor. The DRC and the Republic of Congo are developing a joint cross-border vaccination plan. In South Kivu, reactive vaccination campaigns continue in the Mulungu and Shabunda health zones. The sources give no figures for how many people have been or will be vaccinated.

The cholera increase comes as the DRC faces an Ebola epidemic that UN News said is severely straining the country's health capacity. According to the latest WHO data, 9,066 cases and 4,381 deaths have been recorded in seven provinces and 65 health zones, a case fatality rate of 48.3 per cent. The report also indicates 2,389 recoveries. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.

In Haut-Uele province, the Ebola treatment centre in Isiro has been expanded to take more patients. WHO also delivered an additional tonne of medical supplies. Uganda reported 20 cases and two deaths and was declared Ebola-free in August. Kenya confirmed the death of a Kenyan national infected with the virus after travelling from the DRC via Uganda. UN News said this is the first imported case Kenya has reported in connection with this outbreak.