Cholera Warning from the World Health Organization
While the world was discussing the rapidly spreading monkeypox virus, another alarming statement came from the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO announced that cholera cases are increasing at an alarming rate.
More than 300 Thousand Cholera Cases
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, shared the following information in his statement: “Between January 1, 2024 and July 28, 2024, a total of 307,433 cholera cases were reported from five WHO regions, resulting in 2,326 deaths. The highest number of cases were detected in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, followed by the African Region, Southeast Asia Region, America Region and European Region, respectively. “No cholera outbreaks have been reported in the Western Pacific Region during this period.”
In addition, Ghebreyesus said, “With 105 million doses of vaccine requested by 18 countries since January 2023, almost double the 55 million doses of vaccine produced during this period, demand continues to exceed the available supply, resulting in a critical Oral Cholera Vaccine ( He stated that there was a shortage of OCV).
WHO has classified the global resurgence of cholera as a grade 3 emergency as of January 2023, the highest internal level for emergencies. Due to the increase in the number of outbreaks, geographical expansions, and the lack of vaccines and other resources, WHO continues to assess the global risk as “very high” and classifies this situation as a level 3 emergency.
