OCHA and CERF act in anticipation of a large cholera outbreak in DRC

The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated 750,000 US dollars for anticipatory actions to contain a cholera outbreak in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This funding will be used to implement actions that will reduce the risk of the disease spreading further.   

The funding was automatically allocated on 13 March 2025, once the trigger thresholds in the Anticipatory Action Framework for Cholera were reached, following a steady increase in suspected cases in Goma, North Kivu. 

Acting early to contain a disease outbreak

The framework is facilitated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in collaboration with the National Program for the Elimination of Cholera and the Control of Other Diarrheal Diseases. It aims to contain a cholera outbreak by implementing actions that reduce its scale early on, thus mitigating the spread among the population. 

The anticipatory actions are being implemented by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and their partners. They include: 

• critical health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) assistance in Goma and the surrounding areas
• detecting and responding to cholera alerts in a timely manner
• carrying out case management
• improving sanitation
• risk communication and community engagement.

“At a time when armed conflict and mass displacement are exposing millions of people to precarious living conditions, timely action is a matter of survival,” said Bruno Lemarquis, humanitarian coordinator in the DRC. “This CERF funding is a concrete way of preventing a large-scale epidemic. Investing in response and prevention now will save lives and avoid much heavier expenditure later.” 

The cholera epidemic has hit the DRC at a time when it is facing a complex humanitarian crisis, with more than 21 million people having multiple humanitarian needs. Since the end of January, the provinces of North and South Kivu have experienced an upsurge in conflict, marked by the offensive of the M23 armed group. Violent clashes have forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands of people. This has had an impact on the provision of basic services, increasing the risk of water-related diseases such as cholera spreading.