Geneva – The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the global cholera crisis is deepening, with deaths rising sharply despite a decline in reported cases. The agency attributes the trend to factors such as conflict, climate disasters, and poverty, which are fuelling outbreaks across Africa and the Middle East.
According to a WHO statement, at least 4,738 people died from cholera and Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) across 31 countries between January and mid-August 2025. While the overall number of cases fell by 20% compared to the same period last year, deaths climbed by a staggering 46%. The WHO said this exposed “serious gaps in case management and delayed access to care.”
The situation is most severe in Africa, which accounted for more than 3,700 deaths and has a case fatality rate of 2.2%—more than double the global emergency threshold of 1%. Countries at the epicentre of the crisis include Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where fragile health systems are struggling to cope.
The WHO stressed that safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene are the only sustainable solutions to the emergency, and warned that the risk of further cross-border spread remains “very high.” In response, the WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have launched a joint emergency plan to strengthen surveillance and improve access to treatment and vaccination campaigns across the continent.
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