Cholera has struk KInshasa, the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo triggering widespread fears among the city dwellers as authorities struggle to contain the epidemic.
President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi has called for a “lucid” and “resolute” national mobilization under the coordination of the Prime Minister.
The situation remains worrying, with the spread affecting several health zones in the city of Kinshasa. The health zones of Limete, Makala, and Kokolo are the most affected.
According to government statistics, the country has recorded more than 30,000 cases recorded since the beginning of 2025.
Tshisekedi has also instructed, “The immediate activation of the contingency plan by closely involving the provincial Health Division; the rapid deployment of medical teams, stocks of essential inputs and mobile treatment centers in the most affected areas, the systematic disinfection of water points, markets, schools and other places of high traffic, the massive distribution of drinking water, hygiene kits and water treatment products in vulnerable neighborhoods.”
He has also ordered for the strengthening of epidemiological surveillance, community screening and local communication in order to raise awareness among the population to combat rumors and encourage collective adherence to health instructions.
According to Tshisekedi, the cholera epidemic is currently affecting the city-province of Kinshasa, seriously exposing the health of citizens, particularly in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods.
“This epidemic outbreak is not only a health emergency, it is the symptom of a chain of accumulated vulnerabilities, particularly with the recent floods which have seriously damaged sanitation infrastructure, contaminated drinking water sources and displaced thousands of people, exposing them to overcrowded and unsanitary conditions which favor the spread of cholera,” said President Tshisekedi.
“In the week of June 23-29, 2025 alone, four new health zones recorded cases of cholera, bringing the total number of affected areas to 25 out of the 35 in the capital, Kinshasa. Our hospital and funeral capacities are under severe strain, and the threat of a widespread epidemic, particularly in the disaster camps, is looming,” President Tshisekedi told the council of Ministers.
