Brazzaville – The cholera epidemic is significantly declining in Congo. No confirmed cases were reported between 15 and 16 October 2025. This progress is the result of strengthened response efforts led by the Ministry of Health and Population, with support from partners including World Health Organization (WHO).

“Before the cholera treatment centre was established, we recorded deaths due to the disease. But since the CTC opened in early August, no cholera-related deaths have been reported in our health area,” said Dr Juicael Bokoba, care coordinator at the Integrated Health Centre (CSI) in Loukoléla.

Mossaka-Loukoléla is one of four districts affected by the cholera outbreak in Congo, accounting for 52% of the 808 cases reported nationally as of 16 October 2025, including 66 confirmed and 742 suspected cases. To strengthen patient care, WHO, through the Contingency Fund for Emergencies (CFE), set up four cholera treatment centres (CTCs) in the affected districts, including one at the CSI in Loukoléla. 

Alongside equipping the centres and deploying rapid response and mobile lab teams, WHO trained 88 frontline workers in case management, infection prevention and control. The organization also delivered over 14 tons of medical supplies, including medicines, water treatment products and lab kits.

With these kits available, Ghislain Dzeret Indolo, one of the lab technicians deployed in the field, ensures thorough detection using the mobile lab. “Around the Congo River, diarrhoea cases are common, but not all are cholera. That’s why it’s important to test for antigens and other causes,” he explained. “We trace the causes and analyse for co-infections.”

Thanks to improved equipment and strengthened health worker capacity, patient care has significantly improved and hospital deaths have decreased. Of the 67 deaths recorded since the outbreak began, 56 (83.6%) occurred in the community and 11 (16.4%) in health facilities.

Since most deaths occurred in the community, health authorities have intensified risk communication and community engagement efforts. A total of 173 community health workers have been trained. Their role is to raise awareness about seeking care at the first signs of symptoms and promote preventive measures.

“We received training from the WHO team on how to raise awareness, treat drinking water to prevent cholera and adopt hygiene measures,” said David Akini Maya, a community health worker in Mossaka. “We’re often consulted by the community. Our awareness sessions have a strong impact because we share useful information and distribute chlorine tablets to purify water. We also teach them how to treat water to prevent the disease.”

To improve access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation, around 100 health professionals were trained, with WHO’s support, in water treatment and quality monitoring in health centres and communities. Treating drinking water with chlorine is a key measure to break the transmission chain.

“When we add chlorine to water, it kills microbes and prevents diarrheal diseases. Drinking chlorinated water protects us,” explained Mamadou Zongo, health logistician at WHO’s Regional Office for Africa. “If chlorine isn’t available, we recommend boiling the water and letting it cool for at least 10 minutes before drinking.”

Françoise Komboli, a 36-year-old resident of Mossaka, is now putting these and other measures into practice. She nearly lost her two-year-old daughter to cholera. “Around 4 p.m., my daughter started vomiting and had diarrhoea. By 7 p.m., her condition got worse. I had to take her to the hospital,” she recalled. “At the hospital, they took excellent care of her. Without that quick intervention, my daughter might not be alive today. The nurses did a great job. I thank the hospital team for saving her.”

Every recovered patient is a step closer to ending the cholera epidemic in Congo. “Our hope is to end this outbreak quickly and continue our shared journey to strengthen the country’s health system,” concluded Dr Vincent Dossou Sodjinou, WHO Representative in Congo.