The World Health Organization (WHO) has released global cholera statistics for 2023, revealing a worrying increase in cases and deaths.
According to a statement released on Wednesday, the number of reported cholera cases increased by 13 percent and deaths by 71 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year.
WHO reported that more than 4,000 people died in 2023 from a disease that is easily preventable and treatable. The report notes that: “Forty-five countries reported cases, an increase from 44 in 2022 and 35 in 2021. Notably, 38 percent of reported cases occurred in children under five years of age.”
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection transmitted through contaminated food and water and primarily affects communities with limited access to sanitation.
Reason
The WHO has attributed the rise in cholera outbreaks to conflict, climate change, lack of clean water and sanitation, poverty, underdevelopment and population displacement.
He noted that the geographic distribution of cholera changed significantly between 2022 and 2023, with a 32 percent decrease in reported cases in the Middle East and Asia, and a 125 percent increase in Africa.
The report noted: “Many African countries reported a high proportion of deaths in the community, indicating poor access to treatment. For the first time, several countries reported cholera deaths occurring outside health facilities, known as 'community deaths'.”
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“In five of the 13 reporting countries, more than one-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 joining the tally in 2023.
He added: “Preliminary data show that the global cholera crisis will persist until 2024, with 22 countries currently reporting active outbreaks.
“Despite the fact that fewer cases have been reported so far in 2024 than in the same period in 2023, as of 22 August, WHO has received reports of 342,800 cases and 2,400 deaths across all continents.”
Increase demand for cholera relief materials.
The WHO noted that increasing demand for cholera supplies, such as oral vaccines, diagnostic tests and essential medicines, continues to pose a challenge to global cholera control efforts.
He said that to address limited supplies, the International Coordinating Group had adopted a single-dose vaccination approach instead of the standard two-dose regimen.
The statement said: “Despite low stocks of oral cholera vaccines, a record 35 million doses were shipped in 2024, with the single-dose strategy in place.
“WHO stresses that safe water, sanitation and hygiene remain the only sustainable and long-term solutions to end cholera outbreaks and prevent future ones,”
He said the organization considers the current global risk of cholera to be very high and is responding urgently to reduce deaths and contain outbreaks.
He also said that WHO has released $18 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies for the cholera response from 2022 and has requested $50 million to respond to cholera outbreaks in 2024, but this need remains unmet.