The global cholera situation continues to worsen due to conflict and poverty, posing a significant public health challenge in several WHO regions.
Between January 1 and August 17, 2025, a total of 409,222 cholera cases and 4,738 deaths were reported in 31 countries worldwide.
For the same period in 2024, 510,638 cases and 3,248 deaths were reported in 28 countries, representing a 20% decrease in cases but a 46% increase in deaths.
The Eastern Mediterranean Region had the highest number of acute cholera cases (230,991 cases, 6 countries), followed by the Africa Region (172,750 cases, 23 countries), Southeast Asia Region (2,985 cases, 5 countries), and the Americas Region (2,496 cases, 1 country). The highest number of cholera-related deaths occurred in the African region (3,763 cases, 2.2% case fatality rate), followed by the Eastern Mediterranean region (943 cases, 0.4% case fatality rate), the Americas region (31 cases, 1.2% case fatality rate), and Southeast Asia region (1 case, 0.03% case fatality rate). No deaths were reported in the European and Western Pacific regions.
Cholera fatality rates exceeded 1% in 6 of the 31 countries, suggesting serious gaps in case management and delayed access to medical care.
Cholera is resurging in many countries, including countries that had not reported cases for years, such as Chad and the Republic of the Congo. Cholera outbreaks have significantly expanded in areas such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and Sudan, where outbreaks have persisted since 2024.