80,000 children at risk as cholera spreads across Africa

About 80,000 kids could get cholera as the disease spreads across 12 countries in West and Central Africa during the rainy season, according to the latest United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announcement. The Democratic Republic of Congo got hit worst with over 38,000 cases and 951 deaths just in July. Heavy rains and floods are making things way worse and helping the disease jump between countries.

The DRC is in real trouble. Kids under five make up more than a quarter of all cases there. Seven provinces are dealing with outbreaks, and the capital Kinshasa is now in crisis mode after recent flooding sent cases through the roof. The city’s death rate hit 8% as hospitals can’t handle all the sick people.

Chad has 55 suspected cases and four deaths at a refugee camp near Sudan’s border. Families there are packed together without clean water or decent toilets. Nigeria has logged over 3,000 suspected cases and 86 deaths across 34 states, making it the second-worst hit. Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo are fighting their own outbreaks too.

“Heavy rains, widespread flooding, and displacement are all fueling cholera transmission and putting children’s lives at risk,” said UNICEF’s Gilles Fagninou for the region. 

UNICEF has been rushing medical supplies and clean water to treatment centers while helping with vaccination drives in affected areas. But they need $20 million over the next three months to beef up emergency response across the region. “We are in a race against time,” Fagninou said, working with governments to reach remote areas where children face deadly diseases and hunger.