Haiti's Cholera Outbreak Continues into Summer of 2023

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recently reported the global cholera outbreak continues into the summer of 2023. While cholera in travelers is sporadic, outbreak settings do pose health risks.

The ECDC confirmed 412,137 cholera cases, including 2,130 related deaths, have been reported worldwide as of June 21, 2023.

In comparison, only 400 cholera deaths were reported during the same period in 2022.

In the Region of the Americas, Haiti continues to lead in cases and deaths.

Since January 2023 and as of early June 2023, over 26,000 cases, including 253 deaths, have been reported in Hati.

In comparison, in 2022, no cases were reported.

The good news is the island of Hispanola's eastern neighbor, the Dominican Republic, has reported very few cholera cases in 2023.

Visitors to Haiti should avoid unsafe food and water and wash their hands often to help prevent cholera, says the U.S. CDC.

Cholera is a vaccine-preventable disease. However, vaccination against cholera is not routinely recommended because most travelers do not visit areas of active transmission.

During 2023, cholera vaccines are in limited supply in the U.S.