Global cholera deaths rose by 30 per cent in 2025, with Nigeria and six other countries accounting for about 90 per cent of reported cases and deaths, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.
According to WHO’s latest Weekly Epidemiological Record released on Tuesday, 47 countries reported 451,499 cholera cases and 7,870 deaths in 2025.
The death toll is the highest recorded by the agency since 1999, even though fewer cases were reported than in 2024.
WHO said the figures likely underestimate the true scale of the outbreak because many cases go unreported.
Nigeria, Angola, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen accounted for about 90 per cent of reported cholera cases and deaths worldwide.
The African region recorded the sharpest increase, with cases rising by 34 per cent and deaths by 58 per cent compared with 2024.
Reacting to the trend, Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said, “The rise in cholera deaths is a reminder of the challenge ahead.
“No one should be dying from cholera today when we have the tools to prevent and treat this disease. The concentration of cases and deaths in a small number of countries shows where targeted investments in safe water, sanitation and hygiene could have the greatest impact.
“Combined with stronger disease surveillance, community engagement, vaccination and access to quality care, these investments can help turn this trend around.”
Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria. It spreads through food and water contaminated with faeces, particularly in communities without safe water and adequate sanitation.
The disease is preventable and treatable, but severe dehydration can become fatal if treatment is delayed.
More than one in five reported cholera deaths occurred outside health facilities in 2025, suggesting many patients failed to reach care in time.
Among those treated in health facilities, the global case fatality rate remained below one per cent, though it exceeded that threshold in 12 countries.
Vaccine supplies have increased during the outbreak. Global production of oral cholera vaccines rose from about 30 million doses in 2022 to around 80 million annually by 2025.
The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision approved 71 million doses for affected countries in 2025, including 20 million for preventive vaccination after such campaigns resumed earlier this year following a suspension of more than three years.
The report also pointed to continued outbreaks of other infectious diseases.
In Africa’s meningitis belt, which stretches from Senegal to Ethiopia, 24 of 26 countries reported 21,526 suspected meningitis cases and 971 deaths in 2025. Cases fell by 5.9 per cent in countries that reported data for both 2024 and 2025, while deaths represented a 4.5 per cent fatality rate.
On plague, 10 countries reported suspected human cases between 2019 and 2025, with six confirming infections. A total of 3,847 suspected cases and 423 deaths were recorded during the period, with most cases reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar, where the disease remains endemic in some areas.
