Global cholera deaths rose by 50% in one year

New statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that global cholera deaths increased in 2024, with fatalities rising by 50 per cent compared to 2023.

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According to the report, released on Friday, cholera cases increased by five per cent in 2024 compared to 2023, with more than 6,000 people losing their lives to a disease that is both preventable and treatable.

WHO said the latest figures likely underestimate the true scale of the crisis, citing gaps in reporting and surveillance.

Cholera remains a global public health threat. It is an acute diarrheal infection caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

The organisation stressed that access to safe water, basic sanitation, and hygiene is essential to prevent cholera and other waterborne diseases.

While most patients experience mild or moderate diarrhoea that can be managed with oral rehydration solution, untreated cases can rapidly become fatal.

Factors fuelling outbreaks

The report identified conflict, climate change, population displacement, and long-term deficiencies in water and sanitation systems as major drivers of rising cholera cases.

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“60 countries reported cases in 2024, an increase from 45 in 2023. The burden of the disease remained concentrated in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, which collectively accounted for 98 per cent of all reported cases,” WHO stated.

It added that 12 countries each reported more than 10,000 cases in 2024, with seven of them experiencing large outbreaks for the first time.

Comoros also recorded a resurgence after more than 15 years without outbreaks, underscoring the persistent risk of global transmission.

“The case fatality ratio for Africa increased from 1.4 per cent in 2023 to 1.9 per cent in 2024, revealing critical gaps in the delivery of life-saving care and signalling the fragility of many health systems, along with challenges in access to basic health services,” it noted.

Nigeria among worst-hit

As of July, WHO ranked Nigeria among three countries with worsening outbreaks, alongside the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.

The Multi-Country Outbreak of Cholera report released on 28 August showed that in July 2025, the African Region reported 20,053 new cholera cases across 14 countries, marking a seven per cent increase compared with June.

“In this period, the highest number of cases were reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (8,308), South Sudan (6,740) and Nigeria (2,638),” WHO said.

Between January and 27 July 2025, Nigeria was among the 21 African countries that reported a combined 164,804 cholera cases. In that period, 3,510 deaths were reported across 18 countries, with Nigeria among the top three for fatalities.

Additional WHO data obtained in June revealed that Nigeria had reported 1,562 cases between January and May, contributing to 117,346 cases in 17 African countries.

However, WHO cautioned that underreporting, weak surveillance, and limited diagnostic capacity mean the figures may not fully capture the situation.

Vaccines and response

A new, innovative oral cholera vaccine, Euvichol-S®, was prequalified in early 2024 and entered the global stockpile. Its addition helped maintain average stockpile levels above the emergency threshold of five million doses for the first six months of 2025.

However, due to continued high demand for OCV, the temporary change from a two-dose to a single-dose regimen remained in effect throughout 2024 and into 2025.

Requests for 61 million OCV doses were made to the global stockpile in 2024, and a record 40 million were approved for emergency use in reactive, single-dose campaigns in 16 countries. However, supply constraints continued to outstrip demand in 2024 and 2025.

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“Preliminary data show that the global cholera crisis continues into 2025, with 31 countries reporting outbreaks since the beginning of the year.

“WHO assesses the global risk from cholera as very high and is responding with urgency to reduce deaths and contain outbreaks in countries around the world.

“WHO continues to support countries through strengthened public health surveillance, case management, and prevention measures; provision of essential medical supplies; coordination of field deployments with partners; and support for risk communication and community engagement,” it noted.