As cholera continues to threaten lives and livelihoods across the African Region, government representatives from water and health sectors, scientists, and partners are gathering in Livingstone, Zambia, from 20–22 October 2025, to chart a renewed path toward ending the disease.
The Regional Expert Consultation on Cholera Prevention and Control, convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa, marks a pivotal moment in the continent’s collective drive to eliminate cholera by 2030.
Over the past decade, cholera has remained a persistent challenge, affecting millions and claiming thousands of lives each year. From 2014 to 2021, the region accounted for 21% of global cholera cases and 80% of deaths.
Despite significant efforts, outbreaks continue to surge across borders, with 23 countries already affected in 2025 alone. These trends highlight the urgent need for long-term, coordinated action to address the underlying drivers of cholera, from fragile water and sanitation systems to climate-related disruptions and population movements.
“The continued spread of cholera in Africa is not inevitable; it is a reflection of systems that can and must be strengthened,” said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “This meeting is about action – transforming lessons into solutions, and commitments into measurable impact. Together with governments and partners, we have a shared responsibility to ensure that no community suffers from a preventable disease like cholera.”
The consultation, jointly organized by WHO, the East, Central and Southern Africa Health Community (ECSA-HC), UNICEF, and the Country Support Platform (CSP), brings together more than 90 participants, including public health and WASH experts from 20 high-burden countries, and key partners such as GTFCC, GAVI, UNICEF, IFRC, CSP,MSF, WaterAid Havard Global Health Institute, the World Bank, and invited experts from Bangladesh and Haiti, two countries with valuable cholera-control experience.
Discussions will focus on overcoming implementation bottlenecks within the Regional Framework for Cholera Elimination (2018–2030) and identifying concrete measures to strengthen multisectoral collaboration.
Central to the agenda are proposals to establish a Continental Cholera Task Force andddicated funding for cholera designed to ensure sustained financing and coordination for prevention, preparedness, and rapid response.
“The Region has made significant progress, but there’s more to do,” said Dr Dick Chamla, WHO Programme Area Manager for Emergency Preparedness. “We need to go beyond emergency response and build systems that prevent cholera in the first place, through clean water, sanitation, strong community engagement, and local vaccine production. This consultation is about aligning our technical expertise and political will to make elimination achievable.”
Over the three-day meeting, participants will explore ways to accelerate vaccine availability, promote local manufacturing of oral cholera vaccines, and strengthen public-private partnerships to ensure equitable access to essential supplies. They will also examine how predictive modelling, data analytics, and cross-border collaboration can enhance early detection and rapid response.
The outcomes of the consultation will inform a renewed Regional Roadmap aligned with the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC) targets, to reduce cholera deaths by 90% and eliminate the disease in at least 20 countries by 2030.
As delegates conclude in Livingstone, the task ahead is to sustain momentum and turn every commitment made into stronger systems, and healthier communities across the continent.