EU Releases €1.5m Emergency Funding To Combat Cholera In Nigeria

The European Union has released €1.5 million in emergency humanitarian funding to Nigeria to support efforts to contain cholera outbreaks, expand access to treatment and prevent further deaths.

The funding is part of a €2.3 million emergency package announced by the European Commission for Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad amid a growing cholera burden across Africa.

According to the European Commission, Nigeria’s allocation will support the deployment of additional response teams, the provision of essential cholera kits and the expansion of water, sanitation and hygiene measures in affected communities.

The funding will also strengthen disease surveillance, particularly in hard-to-reach areas, improve case management and support public awareness campaigns on cholera prevention and treatment.

The EU said the intervention would include treating public and household water sources and strengthening disease surveillance in hard-to-reach areas to enable the early detection and response to cholera cases.

The intervention comes as cholera continues to pose a major public health challenge across Africa.

The World Health Organisation reported 61,888 cholera cases and 1,230 deaths across 16 African countries between January 1 and May 31, 2026. Nigeria recorded 6,860 cases and 80 deaths during the same period.

EU Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said the funding was necessary to protect communities without adequate access to safe water and healthcare.

“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 was being released at a time when humanitarian needs were increasing while available resources were shrinking.

“Europe is not looking away. This emergency funding will help our partners act quickly, contain the outbreaks and protect the communities most at risk,” she said.

The broader package will also provide €100,000 to Cameroon for outbreak containment and case management, with the Central African Republic receiving €500,000 for treatment, vaccination, surveillance and water, sanitation and hygiene interventions.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection caused by Vibrio cholerae, usually transmitted through contaminated food or water. Severe cases can cause rapid dehydration and death if treatment is delayed.

The WHO has warned that conflict, displacement, climate-related events, poor infrastructure and limited access to healthcare are making cholera outbreaks increasingly difficult to control.

With the new funding, the immediate priority in Nigeria will be to contain transmission, improve access to treatment, protect at-risk communities, expand access to safe water and sanitation, and provide reliable health information.