UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians on Wednesday called for an immediate scale-up of the response to the worst cholera outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 25 years.

"Since the start of the year, more than 1,300 suspected cases and 35 deaths have been reported," the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

"The Government, the UN and its partners are continuing to provide support, but there are still major gaps," OCHA said. "Water, sanitation and hygiene services are critically underfunded, health workers are overstretched, supplies are running low, and access to treatment facilities remains difficult."

OCHA said the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocated 750,000 U.S. dollars on Monday so humanitarian partners working in healthcare can swiftly expand life-saving assistance and curb transmission rates.

"This marks the fourth CERF allocation for so-called anticipatory action since early 2025, releasing funds to stay ahead of predictable disaster and save more lives," the office said. "Last year, the DRC recorded more than 71,800 suspected cases and over 2,000 deaths."

The world body and its partners urgently need more and flexible funding to bolster health services and ensure there are enough supplies and monitor areas affected by cholera, OCHA said. ■