Cholera Crisis: Key Issues and Solutions

• Cholera, an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by contaminated water or food, has increased in frequency and severity due to climate change.
• The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 3.6 billion lack access to safe sanitation.
• The number of reported deaths from cholera increased by 17% in 2022 and by 13% in 2024.
• The geographical distribution of cholera has changed significantly, with cases from the Middle East and Asia declining by one-third and cases from Africa more than doubling.
• The global cholera crisis has led to a severe shortage of cholera vaccines, with more doses requested for outbreak response than the entire previous decade.
• The International Coordinating Group has had to suspend the standard two-dose vaccination regimen since October 2022, adopting a single-dose approach to reach and protect more people with limited supplies.
• Safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene remain the only long-term and sustainable solutions to ending cholera outbreaks and preventing future ones.
• The Global Task Force for Cholera Control (GTFCC) by WHO developed a ‘Global Roadmap for Ending Cholera by 2030’, emphasizing the need for multi-sectoral interventions.
• In May 2021, seven countries and 10 major health partners affiliated with the GTFCC urged immediate collective action to end the global cholera emergency.
• The pressure on health systems globally is emphasized, with the need for urgent refocus and tangible investments at the grassroots level.