CDC, WHO launch plan to eliminate cholera in Africa

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa Region, in partnership with African Union Member States, have launched a Continental Cholera Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan for 2025–2026, aimed at drastically reducing the disease burden across the continent.

Unveiled on Friday, the plan seeks to reduce cholera deaths by 90 per cent and eliminate the disease in more than 20 countries by 2030.

It focuses on strengthening rapid vaccination campaigns while boosting investments in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Africa CDC noted that the continent continues to bear the brunt of cholera globally, accounting for 82 per cent of reported cases and more than 93 per cent of deaths. Communities in fragile, conflict-affected and underserved areas remain the most at risk.

At the heart of the strategy is the creation of a Continental Cholera Incident Management Support Team (IMST), which will be embedded within the existing mpox response platform to ensure coordinated action and efficient use of resources.

The model will adopt the “4-One” principle of one team, one plan, one budget and one monitoring framework, a system credited with improving coordination during the mpox outbreak that affected 26 countries between 2024 and 2025.

The roadmap envisions an Africa free from cholera outbreaks by 2030.

Its central targets include cutting cholera deaths by 90 per cent, keeping case fatality rates below one per cent, and eliminating the disease in at least 20 countries.

To coordinate these interventions, a Continental Task Force on Cholera will be established, led by Member States with secretariat support from Africa CDC and WHO.

According to both organisations, the initiative aligns with the global cholera elimination strategy and is designed not only to address the disease but also to strengthen Africa’s overall emergency response capacity against multiple health threats.