• 61,888 cases, 1,230 deaths recorded across continent in five months
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
The European Union (EU) has released €2.3 million in emergency humanitarian funding to Nigeria and three other African countries to contain the spread of cholera, as the disease continues to pose a major public health threat across the continent.
Nigeria is to receive the largest share of the intervention, put at €1.5 million, to strengthen its response to the outbreak, including the deployment of additional intervention teams, provision of cholera kits, and intensified water, sanitation, and hygiene measures.
European Commission announced the funding yesterday, saying the money would also support epidemiological surveillance, particularly in hard-to-reach areas, improve case management, and strengthen risk communication and community sensitisation.
The intervention comes against the backdrop of a significant cholera burden across Africa.
The World Health Organisation reported 61,888 cholera cases and 1,230 deaths across 16 African countries between January 1 and May 31, 2026. Nigeria alone recorded 6,860 cases and 80 deaths during the period covered by the WHO report.
WHO’s data showed that Nigeria recorded 5,798 new cases and 54 deaths in May alone, making it one of the countries reporting the highest number of cases in the African Region that month.
The latest EU intervention is expected to provide additional resources for Nigeria’s efforts to prevent further transmission and reduce deaths from the disease, particularly in communities where access to safe water, sanitation and healthcare remains limited.
Under the Nigerian component of the funding, EU said intervention teams would be increased, while essential cholera supplies would be provided to affected communities.
The funding would also support the treatment of public water points and household water, intensify disease surveillance in inaccessible areas, and strengthen measures for detecting and managing cases.
Risk communication and community sensitisation will equally be expanded to help communities understand how cholera is transmitted and the steps required to prevent infection.
Out of the fund, Cameroon will receive €100,000 for outbreak containment and case management.
The allocation will support additional humanitarian personnel, essential medicines, additional cholera treatment units, and oral rehydration points in some of the country’s worst-affected villages.
Central African Republic will receive €500,000 to scale up case management and vaccination, alongside water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions.
The funds will also strengthen risk communication, community engagement, surveillance, and case detection, while supporting dignified and safe burials.
Chad will receive €200,000 to help break the chain of transmission through improved access to water, sanitation, and hygiene, as well as community support for surveillance and case management.
EU Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said the emergency funding was necessary because cholera continued to threaten lives in communities without adequate access to safe water and healthcare.
Lahbib stressed, “Cholera is preventable and treatable. Yet it still threatens lives when people lack something as basic as safe water and healthcare.”
She stated that the intervention was coming at a time when humanitarian needs were increasing while available resources were shrinking.
Lahbib added, “Europe is not looking away. This emergency funding will help our partners act quickly, contain the outbreaks and protect the communities most at risk.”
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is most commonly transmitted through contaminated food or water and can cause severe dehydration and death within hours in serious cases if treatment is not provided.
WHO has warned that cholera outbreaks are increasingly difficult to control because of factors including conflict, population displacement, climate-related events, poor infrastructure, and limited access to healthcare, particularly in rural and flood-affected communities.
The scale of the 2026 outbreak has also highlighted the continuing vulnerability of African countries to diseases linked to inadequate water and sanitation infrastructure.
WHO data show that the Democratic Republic of Congo recorded the highest number of cases in Africa between January and May, with 28,567 cases and 815 deaths, followed by South Sudan with 7,712 cases, and Mozambique with 7,500 cases. Nigeria’s 6,860 cases placed it among the countries with the highest reported burdens during the period.
WHO also cautioned, that reported figures might be affected by under-reporting, reporting delays, and differences in surveillance systems and case definitions across countries.
Nigeria has also been receiving broader international support to strengthen its capacity to detect and respond to disease outbreaks.
In May, EU and WHO launched a €4.2 million programme aimed at strengthening selected Nigerian public health institutions, including their ability to detect outbreaks earlier and share information more rapidly.
With the latest €1.5 million cholera allocation, the immediate priority is expected to be containing transmission, expanding access to treatment, and ensuring that communities at greatest risk have access to safe water, sanitation, and reliable public health information.
EU said the broader emergency response was intended to help its humanitarian partners move quickly, contain the outbreaks, and protect communities most at risk.