Cholera outbreaks are intensifying across West and Central Africa, with six countries battling active outbreaks and millions of children increasingly exposed to the potentially deadly disease, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned.

Nigeria is currently at the centre of the regional crisis, recording the highest number of reported cases. UNICEF said more than 50,000 cumulative cases and 338 deaths had been recorded across the country since January 1, with Borno State accounting for a major outbreak as of the end of July.

“Nigeria currently accounts for the largest reported cholera outbreak in the region, with more than 50,000 cumulative cholera cases and 338 deaths reported since 1st January 2026 in all the country with major outbreak in Borno State as of end July 2026.”

The agency said the situation was also worsening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo, Chad, Cameroon and the Central African Republic.

UNICEF expressed particular concern over the impact on children, who make up a significant proportion of those affected by the outbreaks.

Gilles Fagninou, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, said the scale of the crisis showed that cholera could no longer be treated as a problem confined to individual countries.

“This outbreak is no longer confined by borders,” says UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Gilles Fagninou.

“It is moving along shared rivers, trade routes and population movements, putting millions of children at risk.

“Every new infection is a reminder that millions of children are still being denied one of their most basic rights: safe water. We know how to stop cholera.

“What is needed now is urgency, the investment and the regional solidarity to act before more children lose their lives to a disease that is entirely preventable.”

UNICEF attributed the accelerating transmission to a combination of seasonal rainfall, flooding, displacement and population movements across national borders.

The agency said flooding was particularly dangerous because it can pollute water sources, destroy sanitation facilities and make it harder for humanitarian and health teams to reach communities most at risk.

Fagninou stressed that each new case highlighted the consequences of inadequate access to safe water and sanitation, while urging governments and partners to step up efforts to contain the outbreaks.

To strengthen the regional response, UNICEF is seeking an additional $15 million to fund emergency interventions over the next six months.

The organisation and its partners are working with national and local authorities to expand access to clean water and sanitation, improve disease surveillance, provide essential medical supplies and support oral cholera vaccination campaigns.

UNICEF is also working alongside the World Health Organisation and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to coordinate the response along major routes through which the disease is spreading.

Cholera is both preventable and treatable, but without timely intervention, the agency warned that the continuing outbreaks could claim more lives, particularly among children.