LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- Nigeria will receive €1.5 million aid from the European Union (EU), to contain rising cholera cases across the country as the waterborne disease continues to spread across parts of Africa.
The emergency aid, announced by the commission on Monday, is part of a bigger €2.3 million package that would be shared among Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad.
As cholera burdens African nations and challenges health authorities in their bid to control it, the aid will be channeled into improving access to treatment, strengthening disease surveillance, protecting water supplies and preventing more deaths.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 61,888 cholera cases and 1,230 deaths were reported in 16 African countries between January 1 and May 31, 2026.
Nigeria reported 6,860 cases and 80 deaths during that period.
The month of May alone accounted for 5,798 new cases and 54 deaths, placing Nigeria among Africa’s countries with the highest reported cholera figures.
READ ALSO: Zamfara Intensifies Diphtheria Surveillance, Preparedness With WHO Support
The EU said Nigeria’s €1.5m share will fund additional response teams, essential cholera supplies, treatment services, disease surveillance and water, sanitation and hygiene measures.
This means that public water points and household water supplies will be treated, while health teams will improve surveillance in difficult-to-reach areas to detect cases earlier.
The programme will also support public awareness campaigns to help communities understand how cholera spreads, how to prevent infection and why people with symptoms should seek treatment quickly.
EU Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said the emergency response was necessary because communities without safe water or healthcare remain particularly vulnerable.
“Cholera is preventable and treatable. Yet it still threatens lives when people lack something as basic as safe water and healthcare,” Lahbib said.
She added that the funding comes when humanitarian needs are rising while available resources are becoming tighter.
“Europe is not looking away. This emergency funding will help our partners act quickly, contain the outbreaks and protect the communities most at risk,” Lahbib stated.
READ ALSO: FCT SAPZ Trains Facilitators to Equip 2,000 Farmers With Smart Farming Skills
Meanwhile, WHO data show that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had Africa’s highest reported cholera burden during the period, with 28,567 cases and 815 deaths.
South Sudan recorded 7,712 cases, followed by Mozambique with 7,500.
WHO cautioned that the figures may not show the full scale of the outbreaks because of under-reporting, delays in reporting and differences in surveillance systems between countries.
Cholera is a bacterial infection caused by Vibrio cholerae. It spreads mainly through contaminated food or water and can cause severe dehydration and death within a short time if patients do not receive treatment.
Conflict, displacement, flooding, poor infrastructure and limited healthcare access are making outbreaks harder to control, particularly in rural communities.
The latest funding comes months after the EU and WHO launched a €4.2 million programme in May to strengthen selected Nigerian public health institutions, including their ability to detect disease outbreaks earlier and share information faster.
Ultimately, the EU’s new funding puts the immediate priority on stopping transmission, treating patients, improving surveillance and making safe water, sanitation and reliable health information more accessible to communities at greatest risk.
