UN agencies act to anticipate a cholera outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
On 20 May 2025, the United Nations’ (UN) Anticipatory Action Framework: Cholera for the Democratic Republic of the Congo was activated after the pre-agreed trigger thresholds were met. This prompted the automatic allocation of 750,000 US dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which is now supporting actions to prevent the cholera outbreak from spreading further.
The triggers were reached after a steady increase in suspected cases in the non-endemic provinces of Maniema and Tshopo. It is the second activation in the country this year, following one in March in North Kivu, which highlights the growing cholera risk people face in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Cholera is spreading and already affecting thousands of people in #DRCongo. @UNCERF reacted quickly by releasing the necessary funds to prevent an uncontrollable crisis.
The anticipatory actions being carried out aim to reduce the scale of the cholera outbreak and mitigate its spread. The funding released from the CERF will help partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), to implement urgent health measures (e.g., managing cholera cases) and water, sanitation and hygiene assistance (e.g., providing clean water) while also ensuring the affected community are aware of the risks.
The cholera framework is facilitated by the UN 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 (PNECHOL-MD).
Thanks to Ioannis Kaffes, OCHA, for his support with this article.