Cholera killed more than 3,000 in 2026: WHO - The Straits Times

While data for the first nine months of 2026 show a decline in deaths, more than 3,000 people still died from the preventable and treatable diarrheal infection.

GENEVA – Cholera has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide since the start of 2026, the World Health Organization said on Nov 10, insisting that its goal of cutting global cases by 90% by 2030 remained in reach.

The disease killed nearly 7,900 people in 2025, making it “the deadliest year for cholera since 1999”, according to Lorenzo Pezzoli, WHO lead for epidemic-prone bacterial diseases.

While data for the first nine months of 2026 show a decline in deaths, more than 3,000 people still died from the preventable and treatable diarrheal infection, he said, with “nearly nine out of 10 of them in Africa”.

The WHO also warned that the current El Nino weather pattern could worsen outbreaks, as cholera can be fuelled by both flooding and water shortages.

The UN health agency and the vaccine alliance, Gavi, aim to reduce global cholera cases by 90% by 2030 through mass vaccination campaigns and improved access to clean water and sanitation.

Although cholera was eliminated from high-income countries generations ago thanks to safe drinking water and modern sewage systems, it can still “kill within a matter of hours” if left untreated, Pezzoli said, despite being “easy and inexpensive to treat” with existing medicines.

“The 2030 goal is achievable because the work is already under way,” he added, pointing to the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision, which last year approved the supply of 71 million doses, funded by Gavi.

Vaccines and rapid diagnostic tests are also reaching outbreak zones more quickly, helping health workers detect and respond to infections earlier.

WHO and its partners are helping countries identify districts where cholera repeatedly resurfaces and develop response plans.

Seven countries – Angola, Bangladesh, the DR Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen – accounted for about 90% of global cases and deaths in 2025.

“The collective response is undeniably bearing fruit, but... it remains insufficient,” Pezzoli said.

“We must redouble our efforts to help all these countries reach the elimination goal which means ensuring that, by 2030, cholera no longer poses a public health threat in any of them.” AFP