The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published its global cholera statistics for 2024, revealing a rise in both the number of cases and deaths caused by the disease.

Reported cholera cases increased by 5% and deaths by 50% in 2024 compared to 2023, with over 6,000 people dying from a disease that is both preventable and treatable. Although these figures are alarming, they likely underestimate the true extent of cholera’s burden.

Conflict, climate change, population displacement, and longstanding deficiencies in water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure continue to drive the rise of cholera, a disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which spreads rapidly through faeces-contaminated water.

Sixty countries reported cases in 2024, up from 45 in 2023. The disease burden mainly remained in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, which together accounted for 98% of all reported cases.

The scope of cholera outbreaks continued to expand in 2024, with 12 countries each reporting more than 10,000 cases, seven of which experienced large outbreaks for the first time that year. The resurgence of cholera in Comoros after more than 15 years without reported outbreaks underscores the persistent threat of global transmission.

The case fatality ratio for Africa rose from 1.4% in 2023 to 1.9% in 2024, highlighting significant gaps in the provision of essential care and revealing the fragility of many health systems, as well as ongoing challenges in accessing basic health services.

One quarter of deaths took place in the community, outside of healthcare facilities, highlighting significant gaps in access to treatment and the importance of strengthening community engagement.

To combat cholera, governments, donors, and communities must ensure people have access to safe water and hygiene facilities, receive accurate information on how to protect themselves, and have rapid access to treatment and vaccination during outbreaks. Strong surveillance and diagnostics will help guide these responses. Further investment in vaccine production is also necessary.

A new, innovative oral cholera vaccine (OCV), Euvichol-S®, received prequalification in early 2024 and was added to the global stockpile. Its inclusion helped maintain average stockpile levels above the emergency threshold of 5 million doses during the first half of 2025. However, due to ongoing high demand for OCV, the temporary switch from a two-dose to a single-dose regimen continued throughout 2024 and into 2025. Requests for 61 million OCV doses were made to the global stockpile in 2024, with a record 40 million approved for emergency use in reactive, single-dose campaigns across 16 countries. Nonetheless, supply constraints continued to outstrip demand during 2024 and into 2025.

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 urgently to reduce deaths and contain outbreaks worldwide. WHO continues to assist countries through enhanced public health surveillance, case management, and prevention measures; supply of essential medical items; coordination of field deployments with partners; and support for risk communication and community engagement.

(Source: World Health Organisation)