RismadarVoice Reporters
November 10, 2026
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has disclosed that cholera claimed more than 3,000 lives worldwide during the first nine months of 2026, with Africa accounting for nearly 90 per cent of the reported deaths.
The United Nations health agency revealed the figures on Tuesday, warning that the preventable and treatable disease remains a major public health challenge, particularly in countries affected by poor sanitation, conflict and inadequate access to safe drinking water.
WHO’s lead for epidemic-prone bacterial diseases, Lorenzo Pezzoli, said global cholera deaths had declined compared with the corresponding period in 2025, although thousands of people continued to lose their lives.
He noted that 2025 recorded approximately 7,870 cholera deaths, the highest annual figure reported to the organisation since 1999.
According to Pezzoli, the ongoing El Niño weather pattern could worsen outbreaks, as flooding and water shortages increase the risk of contaminated water and disease transmission.
He explained that cholera had largely been controlled in high-income countries through improved water supply and sanitation infrastructure but continued to threaten communities without such facilities.
The disease, which spreads mainly through contaminated food and water, can cause severe diarrhoea and dehydration and may become fatal within hours without prompt treatment.
Despite the challenges, Pezzoli expressed confidence that the global target of eliminating cholera as a public health threat by 2030 remained achievable.
He highlighted progress in vaccination programmes, including the approval of 71 million oral cholera vaccine doses for affected countries in 2025.
Preventive vaccination campaigns also resumed in 2026 following more than three years of disruption caused by vaccine shortages.
The WHO said it was supporting countries to strengthen disease surveillance, improve early detection and identify communities experiencing repeated outbreaks.
Seven countries, including Nigeria, Angola, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen, accounted for approximately 90 per cent of reported global cholera cases and deaths in 2025.
Pezzoli stressed that insecurity and humanitarian crises continued to undermine disease-control efforts in several affected regions.
He called on governments and international partners to increase investment in clean water, sanitation, vaccination and rapid access to treatment.
The WHO maintained that stronger coordination and sustained public health interventions were essential to preventing avoidable deaths and achieving global cholera-control targets.
