The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a new report showing an increase in cholera cases and deaths globally.
The number of reported cholera cases increased by 13% and deaths by 71% in 2023 compared to 2022. Over 4,000 people died last year from a disease that is preventable and easily treatable with the neighboring DR Congo having the highest number of cases in Africa totaling 52654.
A total of forty-four countries reported cases in 2023 globally representing an increase from the two previous years. In East Africa, it’s only Uganda that did not report cases to the global health body. Kenya reported 8809 cases, Tanzania reported 1040 cases and Rwanda 207 cases. Thirty-eight per cent of all the reported cases were among children under five years of age.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection spread through contaminated food and water. Communities with limited access to sanitation are most affected.
The WHO says in its latest statement that conflict, climate change, inadequate safe water and sanitation, poverty, underdevelopment, and population displacement due to emerging and re-emerging conflicts and disasters from natural hazards all contributed to the rise in cholera outbreaks last year.
The geographical distribution of cholera changed significantly from 2022 to 2023, with a 32% decrease in cases reported from the Middle East and Asia, and a 125% increase in Africa. Many countries in Africa reported a high proportion of community deaths, indicating gaps in access to treatment.
This is the first year that multiple countries have reported deaths from cholera which occurred outside of health facilities, known as ‘community deaths’. In five out of 13 reporting countries, over a third of cholera deaths occurred in the community, highlighting serious gaps in access to treatment and the need to strengthen this area of response.
Now, the organization reports that their data is showing that the global cholera crisis continues into 2024, with 22 countries currently reporting active outbreaks.
Although the number of cases reported so far in 2024 is lower compared to the same period last year, 342,800 cases and 2400 deaths have already been reported to WHO across all continents as of 22 August.
These infections have raised concern over an increased demand for cholera treatment materials such as oral cholera vaccines (OCV), diagnostic tests and essential medications like oral rehydration salts and intravenous fluids for rehydration which for many countries in Africa have to be accessed free of charge.
For the vaccine for instance, due to limited supplies, the International Coordinating Group (ICG), which manages emergency vaccine supplies has suspended the standard two-dose vaccination regimen in cholera outbreak response campaigns, adopting a single-dose approach instead to reach and protect more people given limited supplies. Last year, the report shows 35 million doses of the vaccine were supplied.
However, while vaccination is an important tool, experts say safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene remain the only long-term and sustainable solutions to ending cholera outbreaks and preventing future ones.
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