WHO: Cholera Deaths Rise 30% in 2025 Despite Fewer Reported Cases

Global deaths from cholera rose by about 30 per cent in 2025 despite a decline in reported cases, with the World Health Organisation warning that the figures may significantly underestimate the true burden of the disease.

According to the WHO, 47 countries reported 451,499 cholera cases and 7,870 deaths during the year. The number of deaths was the highest reported to the agency since 1999, while reported cases fell by 19.5 per cent from 560,823 in 2024.

The figures were contained in the latest edition of the WHO’s Weekly Epidemiological Record, which also noted that surveillance data do not capture the full global burden because some infections and deaths are never detected or reported.

Seven countries — Angola, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen — accounted for about 90 per cent of reported cholera cases and deaths worldwide. The WHO African Region recorded the sharpest deterioration, with cases rising by 34 per cent and deaths increasing by 58 per cent compared with 2024.

WHO Health Emergencies Programme Executive Director Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu said the increase in deaths highlighted the need for faster treatment and better access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

“No one should be dying from cholera today when we have the tools to prevent and treat this disease,” Ihekweazu said.

The WHO report found that more than 20 per cent of recorded cholera deaths occurred outside health facilities, indicating that some patients may not have reached medical centres in time for treatment. Among the 37 countries with enough data to calculate a facility-based case-fatality rate, the rate was 0.9 per cent.

The agency also reported progress in access to oral cholera vaccines. Global annual production increased from about 30 million doses in 2022 to approximately 80 million doses in 2025.

The WHO said the apparent decline in global cases was largely driven by a major reduction in cases reported by Yemen. At the same time, several countries, particularly in Africa, recorded substantial increases, showing that the global figures masked serious outbreaks in some locations.

The report also highlighted trends in other epidemic-prone diseases. In the African meningitis belt, 24 of 26 countries reported 21,526 suspected meningitis cases and 971 deaths in 2025, with comparable reporting countries recording a 5.9 per cent decline in suspected cases.

On plague, the WHO said 10 countries reported suspected human infections between 2019 and 2025, while six reported confirmed cases. Across the seven-year period, 3,847 suspected cases and 423 deaths were reported.

The WHO continues to stress that cholera is preventable and treatable, but outbreaks can become more difficult to control where access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare is limited.