WHO report says cholera deaths increased by 54% in October compared to 2023

Although cholera-related cases lowered in October compared to last year, fatalities due to the disease rose by 54%, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest external situation report.

"From 1 January to 27 October 2024, a cumulative total of 486,760 cholera and acute watery diarrhea cases and 4,018 deaths were reported from 33 countries across five WHO regions," the agency said in the report published on Wednesday.

"While the number of cases reported in October 2024 is 42% lower than the same period in 2023, the number of deaths has increased by 54%-reflecting severe response challenges in outbreak settings."

According to the report, factors such as conflict, mass displacement, natural disasters, and climate change have intensified outbreaks, particularly in rural and flood-affected areas, where poor infrastructure and limited healthcare access delay treatment.

"These cross-border dynamics have made cholera outbreaks increasingly complex and harder to control," it warned.

Since the last report, new cholera outbreaks have been reported in Iraq with 571 cases and one death, Lebanon with one case with no death, and South Sudan with 49 cases and one death, bringing the total number of affected countries this year to 33.

WHO stressed that the oral cholera vaccines emergency stockpile averaged less than 600,000 doses in October -- "far below the target of five million doses needed" for emergency stockpile at all times for effective outbreak response.

"This persistent shortage continues to hinder efforts to control cholera outbreaks and respond promptly to the spread of the disease," it said.