5 Sept 2024 • According to the global cholera statistics for 2023, the number of reported cholera cases increased by 13% and deaths by 71% in 2023 compared to 2022.

• Over 4000 people died last year from a disease that is preventable and easily treatable.
• Thirty-eight per cent of the reported cases were among children under five years of age.
• The geographical distribution of cholera changed significantly from 2022 to 2023, with a 32% decrease in cases reported from the Middle East and Asia, and a 125% increase in Africa.
• This is the first year that multiple countries have reported deaths from cholera which occurred outside of health facilities, known as ‘community deaths’.
• Although the number of cases reported so far in 2024 is lower compared to the same period last year, 342 800 cases and 2400 deaths have already been reported to WHO across all continents as of 22 August.

WHO considers the current global risk from cholera as very high and is responding with urgency to reduce deaths and contain outbreaks in countries around the world.

Source: WHO | Read full story