The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a significant increase in cholera cases and deaths last year, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced measures to combat this preventable disease. According to new data, cholera deaths surged by 71 percent, while cases rose by 13 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that cholera claimed 4,000 lives despite being “preventable and easily treatable,” pointing to factors such as conflict, climate change, unsafe water and sanitation, poverty, and displacement as contributing to the rise in outbreaks.
The distribution of cholera cases has shifted dramatically, with a 32 percent decrease observed in the Middle East and Asia, while Africa experienced a staggering 125 percent increase. As of this year, over 342,000 cases and 2,400 deaths have been reported, and 22 countries are currently experiencing active outbreaks. In war-torn Sudan, a cholera epidemic was declared last month following heavy rainfall, and Philippe Barbosa, the WHO’s technical lead on cholera, indicated that the true extent of the disease may be underreported. Research suggests that there could be around two million cases and 100,000 deaths annually.
Tedros emphasized the need for increased vaccine production to address the crisis, noting that only 36 million doses were produced last year, which is half of what was requested by affected countries in 2022. With only one company, South Korea’s EuBiologics, currently manufacturing cholera vaccines, Tedros called for additional manufacturers to contribute. While acknowledging that vaccination is crucial, he stressed that long-term solutions to ending cholera outbreaks must include safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene. Cholera, which causes severe diarrhea, vomiting, and muscle cramps, typically spreads through contaminated food or water.
