Annual cholera deaths on the rise, WHO warns
Hibapress
More than 4,000 people died worldwide in 2023 from cholera, up 71% from the previous year, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday.
Global cholera statistics for 2023 also show a 13% increase in cases of this preventable and easily treatable disease. Forty-five countries reported cases, up from 44 the previous year and 35 in 2021. Thirty-eight percent of reported cases were in children under five.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through contaminated food and water. Communities with limited access to sanitation are most affected. Conflict, climate change, inadequate water and sanitation facilities, poverty, underdevelopment and population displacement due to emerging and re-emerging conflicts and natural disasters have all contributed to the increase in cholera outbreaks over the past year.
The geographic distribution of cholera changed significantly from 2022 to 2023, with a 32 per cent decrease in reported cases in the Middle East and Asia, and a 125 per cent increase in Africa, the Organization said. In 2023, for the first time, several countries reported cholera deaths occurring outside health facilities, known as “community deaths,” the Organization said, noting that in five of the 13 countries reporting cases, more than a third of cholera deaths occurred in the community, highlighting serious gaps in access to treatment and the need to strengthen this area of the response.
Preliminary data show that the global cholera crisis is continuing in 2024, with 22 countries currently reporting active outbreaks. Although the number of cases reported so far in 2024 is lower than the same period last year, 342,800 cases and 2,400 deaths had already been reported to WHO from all continents as of 22 August. WHO considers the current global risk from cholera to be very high and is responding urgently to reduce deaths and contain outbreaks in countries around the world.
Since 2022, $18 million has been released from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies for cholera response. WHO has appealed for $50 million to fight cholera outbreaks in 2024, but this funding has yet to be secured.
