Global surge in Cholera outbreaks

Cholera, a severe acute diarrheal infection, is a disease of inequity and poverty. Since the middle of 2021, an unprecedented climb in cholera cases associated with multiple outbreaks affecting countries that had not reported any cholera cases for many years and several that are not considered as cholera endemic countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that cholera cases rose by 5% and deaths by 50% in 2024 compared to 2023, with more than 6000 people dying from a disease that is both preventable and treatable. Sixty 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% of all reported cases. While these numbers are themselves alarming, they are underestimates of the true burden of cholera (WHO, 2025).

Cholera disproportionately affects vulnerable communities already burdened by the impacts of conflict, climate change, displacement, malnutrition, and who have limited access to safe water, basic sanitation, hygiene infrastructure and health care (WHO, 2023). The global lack of resources including the oral cholera vaccines poses significant challenges to respond to multiple and simultaneous outbreaks.