The Central African Republic (a landlocked nation in central Africa) is grappling with a cholera outbreak that has recorded at least 240 cases and 24 deaths since the first confirmed case on 26 June, according to the country's Ministry of Health. The epidemic is concentrated in the southwestern sanitary districts of Bimbo and Mbaïki, where a lack of clean water infrastructure — including the absence of boreholes in affected villages — is hampering containment efforts and forcing some residents to drink directly from rivers. Authorities have made testing and treatment free across the country, but difficult terrain and deteriorating roads mean many patients must travel by river boat to reach care in the capital, Bangui.