A global surge of cholera cases has put one billion people in 43 countries at risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned at the end of last week.
Three countries, this week alone, have reported outbreaks, WHO cholera team leader Philippe Barboza told reporters at a press conference on Friday.
For the first time, WHO is asking donors for help to fight the outbreaks, he said.
Right now, 22 countries across the world are fighting outbreaks of the acute diarrheal infection caused by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. Cholera cases climbed in 2022, following years of falling numbers of cases, and the trend is expected to continue into this year, he said.
He said cases have been reported in five of the six regions where WHO operates. The latest WHO global overview published in early February showed the situation has further deteriorated since 2022.
Poverty, disasters, conflict and climate change consequences continue to be driving factors alongside a lack of access to safe water and sanitation, Dr. Barboza said.
“An unprecedented situation requires an unprecedented response,” he said, drawing attention to the limited availability of vaccines, medicines, and testing kits.
According to him, only 37 million doses are available in 2023. More doses reportedly are expected to be available by next year.
As a result of the current global surge, WHO is, for the first time ever, appealing to donors to support a US$25 million fund to help to address cholera outbreaks and save lives, he said.
An exponential rise in the number of cholera cases in Africa reportedly includes an outbreak in Mozambique. As of February 19, Mozambique reported a cumulative total of 5,237 suspected cases and 37 deaths. All six cholera-affected provinces are flood-prone areas, and the UN health agency anticipates that more will be affected as the rainy season continues.
As of January 26, 2023, an estimated 26,000 cases and 660 deaths have been reported in 10 African countries facing outbreaks since the beginning of the year, WHO said. In 2022, nearly 80,000 cases and 1,863 deaths were recorded from 15 affected countries.
The UN health agency said challenges include climate change, which has led to drought or flooding in parts of Africa, resulting in increased population displacement and reduced access to clean water.
Worldwide, people in Haiti, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Syria, among others, are reportedly also affected by outbreaks.
