In 2024, the WHO recorded over 560,000 cholera cases and 6,028 deaths globally—a 50% rise in fatalities from 2023. Children under five comprised 20% of cases. Africa accounted for 83% of deaths, with large-scale outbreaks in several countries, including Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released the global tally of cholera cases for 2024. The report reveals a troubling escalation in the global cholera crisis: more than 560,000 cases and 6,028 deaths were reported across 60 countries. Strikingly, this represents a 50% increase in fatalities compared to 2023. Children under 5 years of age accounted for 20% of the cases (1).
The African continent reported 46% of cases and nearly 83% of deaths. This represents a 14% increase in the number of cases and a 57% increase in the number of deaths over the previous year. The most affected countries in Africa included Sudan (53,001 cases), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (31,857 cases), Ethiopia (27,152 cases), Nigeria (24,841 cases), Zambia (23,380 cases), Somalia (21,945 cases), Zimbabwe (20,632 cases), and South Sudan (20,132). Notably, the island nation of Comoros experienced its first major cholera outbreak since 2007, reporting over 10,000 cases. The scale and distribution of these outbreaks underscore widespread community vulnerability and systemic gaps in prevention and response capacity (1).
The main underlying risk factors involve persistent gaps in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure. The surge in cholera transmission is also attributed to compounding factors such as conflict, climate change, and population displacement (1).
The report emphasizes the importance of community-level interventions, enhanced surveillance, improved access to treatment within the community, and cross-border coordination to achieve the 2030 goal of reducing cholera deaths by 90%. The WHO also calls for sustained investment in climate-resilient WASH infrastructure to protect populations against cholera and other waterborne diseases (1).
