307,433 cholera cases recorded in 7 months across 26 countries – WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that from January 1 to July 28, there were 307,433 cholera cases and 2,326 deaths across 26 countries and five WHO regions.

According to a statement released on Thursday, the Eastern Mediterranean Region had the highest number of cases, followed by the African Region, the South-East Asia Region, the Region of the Americas, and the European Region.

No outbreaks were reported in the Western Pacific Region during this period.

The response to cholera is being hampered by a severe shortage of Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV), with 105 million doses requested by 18 countries since January 2023, nearly double the 55 million doses produced.

WHO has classified the global cholera resurgence as a grade 3 emergency, the highest level of internal emergency classification. The organization continues to assess the risk as very high due to the number of outbreaks, their geographic spread, and the shortage of vaccines and resources.