The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported that cholera deaths are climbing worldwide even as the number of recorded cases falls, noting what it described as serious gaps in treatment and access to care.
In a statement issued Friday, the agency said no fewer than 4,738 people died from cholera and Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) across 31 countries between January and mid-August 2025. The figure represents a 46 per cent increase in deaths compared to the same period in 2024, even though total case numbers dropped by 20 per cent.
Africa has recorded the highest toll, with more than 3,700 deaths and a case fatality rate of 2.2 per cent — over twice the 1 per cent threshold that WHO uses to declare an emergency. Countries most affected include Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where conflict, flooding, and fragile health systems have hindered response efforts.
“Safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are the only long-term and sustainable solutions to ending this cholera emergency and preventing future ones,” WHO stated. It added that the risk of cross-border spread remains “very high.”
The organisation said rural and flood-affected communities are the hardest hit, with many patients unable to access rehydration therapy and antibiotics in time.
“Every delayed hour in getting treatment can mean the difference between life and death,” a WHO official said, noting that six countries are reporting fatality rates above the 1 per cent emergency threshold.
To address the crisis, the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have launched a joint Continental Cholera Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan. The initiative includes an Incident Management Team to support countries in surveillance, case management, and oral cholera vaccination campaigns.
African Heads of State have pledged to eliminate cholera by 2030, making it a continental health priority.
WHO cautioned, however, that the disease is reappearing in regions that had been free of outbreaks for years.
“Cholera is resurging in countries that had not seen outbreaks in years. This is a wake-up call. Without clean water and coordinated response, the death toll will keep rising,” the agency said.
