Cholera is a bacterial disease caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated by Vibrio Cholerae. It is an extremely virulent disease that, if untreated, can kill healthy adults within hours through extreme dehydration of the body caused by violent episodes of watery diarrhoea and vomiting. Yet, about 75% of people infected with cholera do not develop any symptoms.
The lack of access to improved water and sanitation infrastructure facilitates epidemic outbreaks, such that cholera reveals inequality and development gaps. Globally, cholera kills an estimated 95.000 people per year and sickens more than 2.8 million (Ali et al., 2015). However, in 2016, 54% of all reported cholera cases were from Africa (WHO, 2017).
In West and Central Africa, 19 out of 24 countries in four main epidemiological basins are regularly affected by cholera (in the Congo River basin, the Lake Chad basin, the South Guinean Gulf basin, Great Lake Basin and the Mano River basin). In the past three years (2015-2017), the region reported an average of more than 40,000 confirmed or suspected cases each year.
Learn more about cholera in the region through the following sections:
- Global Strategy
An Integrated and targeted approach in cholera preparedness, emergency response and long term intervention.
- Cholera Fact Sheets by Country
2 pagers with key facts on cholera epidemiology and strategic interventions by country
- Regional Updates (Cholera Bulletin)
Bi monthly bulletin with up to date epidemiological information and resources about cholera in the region
- Webmap - Current outbreaks
A webmap with the current cholera outbreaks in the region