Oluwafunbi Bello 
KINSHASA, DRC – A severe cholera outbreak kills 16 children at a Kinshasa orphanage, highlighting the scale of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s worst cholera crisis in 25 years, UNICEF says.
UNICEF spokesperson John Agbor confirms on Monday that the disease sweeps through the orphanage within days, killing a quarter of its 62 residents and exposing vulnerabilities across the country’s overstretched health system.
“Congolese children should not be dying from a wholly preventable disease,” Agbor says.
Nationwide, the outbreak has recorded 64,427 cases and 1,888 deaths since January, including 14,818 infections and 340 child deaths, according to UNICEF. Seventeen of the country’s 26 provinces are affected.
Cholera spreads rapidly where clean water and sanitation are scarce. In Congo, only 43 percent of people have access to basic drinking water, and just 15 percent to basic sanitation — the lowest rates in Africa.
UNICEF warns that conflict, displacement and damaged infrastructure continue to fuel transmission, while funding gaps hamper effective response.
The government’s cholera elimination plan requires $192 million but remains severely underfunded. UNICEF is seeking $6 million in 2026 to sustain emergency health, water and sanitation interventions.
“Without additional funding and coordinated action, many more lives could be lost,” Agbor warns.
About the Author
Otamere Gladness 
Hussaini Ibrahim 
Oluwatobi Adu