The European Commission has allocated €2.3 million in emergency humanitarian funding to Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad to support efforts to contain the ongoing cholera outbreak across the four countries.
The funding follows a surge in cholera cases across Africa, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) reporting more than 61,000 cases in the African Region during the first five months of 2026.
Nigeria will receive the largest share of the funding, with €1.5 million allocated to strengthen the country’s response to the outbreak.
According to the European Union, the funding will help increase the number of intervention teams, provide essential supplies, including cholera kits, and support water, sanitation and hygiene interventions.
The assistance will also be used to treat public and household water sources, intensify epidemiological surveillance in hard-to-reach areas, strengthen case management and improve risk communication and community sensitisation.
Cameroon will receive €100,000 to support outbreak containment and case management. The funding will provide additional personnel for humanitarian partners working on the ground, essential medicines, cholera treatment units and oral rehydration points in villages worst affected by the outbreak.
The Central African Republic will receive €500,000 to scale up case management and vaccination, as well as water, sanitation and hygiene interventions.
The funding will also support risk communication and community engagement, improve disease surveillance and case detection, and facilitate dignified and safe burials.
Chad will receive €200,000 to help break the chain of cholera transmission through improved access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene services, as well as community support for disease surveillance and case management.
The EU Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said the emergency funding was necessary to protect vulnerable communities as humanitarian needs continue to increase.
“Cholera is preventable and treatable. Yet it still threatens lives when people lack something as basic as safe water and healthcare. At a time when humanitarian needs are growing, and resources are shrinking, Europe is not looking away,” Lahbib said.
“This emergency funding will help our partners act quickly, contain the outbreaks and protect the communities most at risk,” she added.
Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and is most commonly transmitted through the consumption of contaminated food or water.
In severe cases, the infection can cause rapid loss of body fluids, leading to severe dehydration and potentially fatal shock if treatment is not provided promptly.
The EU noted that cholera is not a common disease in Europe and that the risk of transmission from imported cases remains low.
