Congo cholera outbreak

UNICEF warns that a spike in conflict and displacement in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo is pushing children into the worst cholera crisis since 2017.

Across the country, there have been at least 31,342 suspected or confirmed cholera cases and 230 deaths in the first seven months of 2023, many of them children.

The worst affected province, North Kivu, has seen more than 21,400 confirmed or suspected cases, including more than 8,000 children under 5 years.

The survey showed that families living in cholera hotspots face multiple other health risks, including malnutrition and lack of access to prenatal care and vaccinations.

UNICEF is calling for 62.5 million USD to scale up its prevention and response activities to the cholera and WASH crisis over the next five months. Currently, the appeal is just 9 per cent funded.