This is a translation of the original article in Portuguese. Read the original (Português).
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is going through its worst cholera epidemic in the last 25 years. Since the beginning of 2026, the country has recorded at least 60,000 confirmed cases of the disease and 1,800 deaths, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) published by the Italian magazine Internazionale.
The infections are concentrated in two provinces in the east of the country, South Kivu and North Kivu. The region has for years been marked by armed conflict, which makes it harder for health teams, medicines and treated water to reach affected communities.
Cholera is an intestinal infection transmitted mainly through contaminated water and food. It causes severe diarrhea and rapid dehydration, and can kill within a short time when the patient does not receive adequate rehydration. For this reason, the disease tends to spread most strongly where basic sanitation and regular access to safe drinking water are lacking.
In eastern Congo, these problems add to the effects of the war. Population displacement, crowding in makeshift shelters and weakened public services create conditions favorable to the transmission of infectious diseases.
The cholera epidemic is not the only health crisis facing the country. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is also dealing with an Ebola outbreak, a serious viral disease that requires isolating patients and tracing contacts. The coincidence of the two emergencies puts pressure on a health system that is already overburdened and competes for the same human and financial resources.
The scale of the numbers is drawing the attention of health authorities in other countries. With tens of thousands of cases in a few months, the epidemic may require more international aid, both in vaccines and supplies and in logistical support to reach areas affected by the conflict.
For those who follow global health, the Congolese case shows how different outbreaks can accumulate in the same region, and how political and military instability hinders the control of diseases that, under normal conditions, can be prevented and treated with simple measures such as clean water and rehydration.
Reporting from Internazionale (p. 98 (República Democrática do Congo)).
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