Cholera Cases and Deaths Rise Globally, WHO Reports
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released alarming statistics on global cholera cases and deaths for 2023, revealing a significant increase in the number of reported cases and fatalities. According to the WHO, the number of reported cholera cases rose by 13 per cent and deaths by 71 per cent in 2023 compared to the previous year.
The devastating disease, which is preventable and easily treatable, claimed the lives of over 4,000 people in 2023. The WHO reported that 45 countries experienced cholera outbreaks, with 38 per cent of reported cases affecting children under the age of five.
The organisation attributed the rise in cholera outbreaks to conflict, climate change, inadequate safe water and sanitation, poverty, underdevelopment, and population displacement. The geographical distribution of cholera also shifted significantly, with a 32 per cent decrease in cases reported from the Middle East and Asia, and a 125 per cent increase in Africa.
The WHO noted that many African countries reported a high proportion of community deaths, indicating gaps in access to treatment. For the first time, multiple countries reported deaths from cholera that occurred outside of health facilities, known as "community deaths". In five out of 13 reporting countries, more than a third of cholera deaths occurred in the community, highlighting serious gaps in access to treatment.
The WHO reported that Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, and Somalia continued to report large outbreaks, with Ethiopia, Haiti, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe adding to the tally in 2023. Preliminary data shows that the global cholera crisis persists into 2024, with 22 countries reporting active outbreaks.
The organisation is responding with urgency to reduce deaths and contain outbreaks. To address the limited supplies of cholera materials, the International Coordinating Group has adopted a single-dose vaccination approach instead of the standard two-dose regimen. Despite the low stockpile of oral cholera vaccines, a record 35 million doses were shipped in 2024, with the one-dose strategy in effect.
The WHO emphasizes that safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene remain the only long-term and sustainable solutions to ending cholera outbreaks and preventing future ones. The organisation considers the current global risk from cholera as very high and is working to reduce deaths and contain outbreaks.