Cholera outbreak in Angola kills nearly 600 people

Angola continues to fight its worst cholera outbreak in 20 years, with the disease spreading to 17 of the country’s 21 provinces since January. 

The outbreak has caused nearly 600 deaths and more than 18,000 cases as of early May, according to United Nations agencies. 

Angola's Ministry of Health and its partners, including the World Health Organization, respond to the outbreak through case detection, deployment of rapid response teams and community engagement.

"We walk around with loudspeakers, urging people to do what they can to get rid of this evil", said Health Promotion supervisor António Catunda.

The country has also launched a vaccination campaign in February, which has reached 1 million people. 

Despite thease measures, Angola has a case fatality rate of 3.2%, exceeding the 1% threshold used as an indicator for early and adequate treatment of cholera patients.

The situation is especially difficult for responders on the ground. “We're tired of seeing deaths, we're tired of seeing patients with these problems", said Flávio Njinga, who works as a community development and health agent (Adeco).

"We also want to rest, and we can't. Since 13 January, when we started battling cholera, we've been fighting it all the time. We want at least one day of rest, but we can't rest. We are the rapid response team, and we won't stop until this is over.” 

This outbreak is affecting people of all age groups, especially those under 20 years old.  

Angola’s last major cholera surge in 2006 killed over 2,700 people. The country has since faced periodic outbreaks, especially during the rainy season.

More than 178,000 cases of cholera have been confirmed throughout Eastern and Southern Africa between January 2024 and March 2025, with South Sudan and Angola facing the most severe outbreaks, according to UNICEF.