By Peter Omopo
29th August 2025
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the global cholera crisis is worsening, with deaths rising sharply despite a decline in reported cases. The agency linked the surge to conflict, climate disasters, and poverty, which continue to fuel outbreaks, particularly in Africa and the Middle East.
Between January and mid-August 2025, at least 4,738 people died from cholera and Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) across 31 countries, according to a WHO statement released on Friday. While overall cases dropped by 20% compared to the same period in 2024, fatalities rose by 46%, exposing what WHO described as “serious gaps in case management and delayed access to care.”
Africa remains the hardest hit, accounting for over 3,700 deaths and a 2.2% fatality rate — more than double the 1% global emergency threshold. The most severe outbreaks are in Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where fragile health systems are struggling to cope.
“Safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are the only long-term and sustainable solutions to ending this cholera emergency and preventing future ones,” the agency said, warning that the risk of cross-border spread remains “very high.”
WHO officials attributed the high death rate to conflict-driven displacement, flooding, and collapsing infrastructure in vulnerable communities. Rural and flood-hit areas have been hit hardest, with many patients unable to reach lifesaving treatment in time.
“Every delayed hour in getting treatment can mean the difference between life and death,” one official warned, noting that six countries are already recording fatality rates above the 1% benchmark.
In response, WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have launched a Continental Cholera Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, supported by a joint Incident Management Team. The plan aims to strengthen surveillance, expand access to rehydration and antibiotics, and scale up oral cholera vaccination campaigns.
African leaders have pledged to eliminate cholera by 2030, making it a continental health priority. But experts caution that without urgent investment in water, sanitation, and health infrastructure, progress against the preventable disease could be reversed.
“Cholera is resurging in countries that had not seen outbreaks in years. This is a wake-up call. Without clean water and a coordinated response, the death toll will keep rising,” WHO warned.
