Roughly 80,000 children are at high risk of cholera as the rainy season begins across West and Central Africa, the UN children's agency (UNICEF) said Wednesday.

In a statement, the agency said active outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria heightened the risk of cholera spreading, raising the threat of cross-border transmission to neighboring countries.

In Congo, the hardest-hit country in the region, health officials reported in July more than 38,000 cases and 951 deaths, with children under the age of five accounting for 25.6% of the cases, according to UNICEF.

Other countries grappling with cholera include Chad, the Republic of Congo, Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo.

UNICEF said there is an urgent need to scale up efforts to prevent further spread and contain the disease across the region.

“Heavy rains, widespread flooding and the high level of displacement are all fueling the risk of cholera transmission and putting the lives of children at risk,” said UNICEF regional director for West and Central Africa Gilles Fagninou.

“With access to safe water and hygiene conditions already dire, urgent action is needed. This is a matter of survival,” Fagninou added.

Children, especially those under five, are particularly vulnerable to cholera due to factors such as poor hygiene, lack of sanitation and safe water, and higher susceptibility to severe dehydration.

To scale up its emergency cholera response across the region over the next three months, UNICEF West and Central Africa requires $20 million to provide critical support. (Anadolu Agency)