Cholera: WHO Sounds Fresh Alarm As Nigeria Features Among Worst-Hit Countries

Keep up with the latest news and be part of our weekly giveaways and airtime sharing; follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates. Click to Follow us

Deaths linked to cholera worldwide rose by 30 per cent in 2025 despite a reduction in the number of reported cases, the World Health Organization, WHO, has disclosed.

According to the WHO, 47 countries reported 451,499 cholera infections and 7,870 deaths during the year, making 2025 the deadliest year for cholera recorded by the organisation since 1999.

The figures were published in the WHO’s latest Weekly Epidemiological Record released on September 29, 2026.

The global health agency cautioned that the reported statistics may not reflect the true extent of the outbreak, as numerous infections and deaths are either missed or excluded from national disease surveillance systems.

Seven countries — Angola, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen — accounted for approximately 90 per cent of reported cholera cases and deaths worldwide.

Africa recorded the most significant deterioration, with reported cholera cases rising by 34 per cent and deaths increasing by 58 per cent compared with figures from 2024.

“The rise in cholera deaths is a reminder of the challenge ahead,” said Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme.

He noted that many cholera-related deaths could be prevented through timely medical treatment and continued improvements in access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

“No one should be dying from cholera today when we have the tools to prevent and treat this disease,” he said.

The WHO further disclosed that more than 20 per cent of reported cholera deaths occurred outside healthcare facilities, indicating that many patients may fail to reach medical centres early enough to receive treatment.

Among patients who received treatment in health facilities, the global case-fatality rate remained below one per cent. However, 12 countries recorded case-fatality rates above one per cent in 2025.

Meanwhile, access to oral cholera vaccines recorded significant growth, with global annual production increasing from about 30 million doses in 2022 to approximately 80 million doses in 2025.

The WHO also reported that 24 of the 26 countries in Africa’s meningitis belt recorded 21,526 suspected meningitis cases and 971 deaths in 2025.

Among countries that supplied comparable data for both 2024 and 2025, suspected meningitis cases fell by 5.9 per cent.

On plague, the WHO disclosed that 10 countries notified the agency of suspected human infections between 2019 and 2025, while six countries reported confirmed cases.

Over the seven-year period, a total of 3,847 suspected plague cases and 423 deaths were reported.

Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it. 
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.