The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for Eastern and Southern Africa has reported over 178,000 cases of cholera in the region over the past 15 months, according to a statement from the organization.

“More than 178,000 cholera cases have been confirmed in 16 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa between January 2024 and March 2025,” the agency announced. UNICEF specified that during this period, the disease has claimed nearly 2,900 lives, “many of whom are children.” The most severe outbreaks were recorded in South Sudan and Angola, where children under the age of 15 accounted for 50% and 40% of cases, respectively.

According to UNICEF statistics, “the lack of adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene services has left 174 million people in the region without access to hygiene facilities in their homes.” Additionally, UNICEF warned that floods and droughts have exacerbated the crisis by destroying key infrastructure such as water storage and piping systems and have led to the depletion of groundwater sources.

In this context, to address this crisis, the organization urges governments and stakeholders in the region to increase funding for systems that could ensure continuous access to safe drinking water and sanitation; improve access to these services through high-level political commitments; invest more in enhancing climate resilience for social services; and strengthen the capacities of the water, sanitation, and hygiene sector.

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