Namibia has just recorded its second cholera outbreak of the year, marking a resurgence after more than ten years without one. On November 24, the Namibia Ministry of Health announced six cholera cases from Grootfontein District in the Otjozondjupa Region, with three cases confirmed and no fatalities.
This event represents the second cholera outbreak in 2025. For the year to date, Namibia reports a total of 24 cholera cases (13 confirmed, 11 suspected) and one death, yielding a case fatality rate (CFR) of 4.17%. The cases have occurred in two regions: Kunene and Otjozondjupa.
The previous cholera outbreak in Namibia occurred in 2014, when 504 cases and 16 deaths were recorded (CFR 3.17%), primarily across four regions.
Looking across Africa, the continent has logged 309,553 suspected or confirmed cholera cases this year, including 10,017 confirmed, 47 probable, and 299,489 suspected cases, with 7,136 deaths (CFR 2.31%) across 24 African Union member states.
Among the countries experiencing the largest outbreaks this year are South Sudan (78,034 cases, 1,276 deaths), Sudan (72,057 cases, 2,077 deaths), the Democratic Republic of Congo (63,521 cases, 1,863 deaths), and Angola (35,163 cases, 878 deaths).
Namibia’s public health update also covers measles, mpox, cholera, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), and polio. For more details, see the linked outbreak update.
Additional context on Africa’s health outbreaks includes reports of Ebola in the DRC and Marburg in Ethiopia.
