The Democratic Republic of the Congo is going through a health crisis of unusual scale. According to World Health Organization data, the country recorded 2,932 suspected cholera cases and 86 deaths in the single week from 21 to 28 September, while it is already fighting an Ebola outbreak.
The cholera trend is alarming. In seven days, suspected cases rose from 2,506 to 2,932, an increase of 17%, while deaths climbed from 62 to 86. Weekly cases are now almost six times the alert threshold of 500. Since the start of the year, 51,412 suspected cases and 1,487 deaths have been reported across 21 provinces. Over a longer period, from January 2025 to the end of September 2026, the toll exceeds 125,000 suspected cases and 3,644 deaths.
South Kivu, North Kivu and Haut-Katanga alone account for nearly 60% of cases. The disease is also spreading elsewhere: four new health zones were affected during the latest reporting period, three of them in Tshuapa.
The causes are well known. Poor access to safe water and sanitation fuels transmission, made worse by the rains and the use of wells that are often contaminated. In the east, insecurity is holding back health operations, particularly in parts of Kibua and Masisi, and long distances to health facilities delay treatment.
Response teams are mobilising. Four water chlorination sites are due to be set up in North Kivu, while in Tanganyika nearly 4,000 households and 5,900 latrines are to be disinfected. Oral vaccination campaigns are continuing, notably in Mulungu and Shabunda in South Kivu, and Kinshasa is preparing a joint cross-border vaccination strategy with Brazzaville.
Ebola, meanwhile, continues to take a heavy toll. The WHO reports 9,066 cases and 4,381 deaths across seven provinces and 65 health zones, a fatality rate of 48.3%, with 2,389 recoveries. Caused by the Bundibugyo strain, the outbreak is worrying neighbouring countries. Uganda was declared Ebola-free in August, but Kenya last week confirmed a death in Nairobi linked to a case imported from the DRC via Uganda. In Isiro, in Haut-Uele, the treatment centre has been expanded and an additional tonne of medical supplies has been delivered.
For the Congolese authorities and their partners, the challenge is enormous: containing two epidemics at once, in areas that are sometimes inaccessible, with a health system already under strain.