667,000 Cholera Cases Confirmed in 2023

Preliminary data from World Health Organization (WHO) Member States indicate that the number of cholera cases reported in 2023 has surpassed 2022, with over 667,000 cases and 4000 deaths.

In total, at least 30 countries have reported cholera outbreaks in 2023.

As of January 11, 2024, nearly a year has passed since the WHO classified the global resurgence of cholera as a grade 3 emergency.

Based on the large number of outbreaks and their geographic expansion, alongside the shortage of cholera vaccines and other resources, the WHO continues to assess the risk at a global level as very high.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicine Agency, and the U.K. NHS recommend oral cholera vaccines (OCV) for specific conditions in countries that are undergoing outbreaks.

During 2023, around 65 million OCV doses were requested, with 45% being approved and allocated to 12 countries,

There are three WHO pre-qualified OCVs: Dukoral®, Shanchol™, and Euvichol®. 

In August 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published Cholera Vaccine: Recommendations, highlighting CVD 103-HgR (Vaxchora®) for travelers ages 2–64 years old going to areas of active toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 transmission.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, often from feces. Cholera can kill people within hours when not treated, but immediate access to treatment saves lives, says the WHO.