Cholera Outbreaks Continue As Does Vaccine Shortage in 2025

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently published the 27th Emergency Situational Update regarding cholera outbreaks.

The WHO reported that from January 2025 to May 25 2025, a cumulative total of 211,678 cholera cases and 2,754 related fatalities were reported from 26 countries.

Three WHO regions, with the African Region recording the highest numbers, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and the South-East Asia Region.

In May 2025, the South-East Asia Region reported 257 new cholera cases from Myanmar.

Since cholera is a vaccine-preventable disease, the WHO recommends oral cholera vaccines (OCVs) for travelers visiting countries where outbreaks are occurring.

As of June 22, 2025, the WHO has prequalified Vaxchora®, Dukoral®, Shanchol™, Euvichol®, and Euvichol-S OCVs.

In January 2025, the WHO stated that OCV production had reached 6.2 million doses. However, as of May 2025, the OCV stockpile consisted of 5.7 million doses, which is below the minimum emergency threshold of five million.

The WHO says that, during the current cholera outbreak, only one OCV dose course has been implemented in reactive vaccination campaigns.

As of June 22, 2025, there are ample supplies of OCVs at travel clinics and pharmacies in the United States.