Cholera Vaccines Meeting Outbreak Demands

After decades of progress against cholera outbreaks, cases are again on the rise, even in countries that had not seen the disease in years. And with a multi-year vaccine shortage, health leaders were confronted with significant challenges.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 44 countries reported cholera cases in 2022, a 25% increase from the 35 countries that reported cases in 2021.

On August 15, 2025, Kathryn Alberti, WHO Technical Officer for cholera, provided an update on the global cholera situation in a media release.

This year, more than 390,723 cholera cases and 4,332 related fatalities have been reported across 31 countries. These figures are underestimates, says Alberti.

Fortunately, the cholera vaccine available has recently improved.

Since December 2024, oral cholera vaccine production has hit record levels - 6 million doses monthly, the highest since 2013. But record production has been outpaced by record demand.

Since January 2025, the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG) has received 38 requests from 12 countries—triple the number compared to the same period last year.

Already this year, over 40 million doses have been allocated by the ICG, compared to 35 million doses allocated in all of 2024. 

More than 85% of approved doses this year are for countries facing humanitarian crises, with the largest share going to the Republic of Sudan.

In Sudan's Darfur region alone, MSF teams saw over 2,300 cholera patients and 40 deaths in early August 2025.

In the United States, travel vaccine clinics and pharmacies continue to report ample cholera vaccine supplies. The WHO and the U.S. CDC recommend vaccination before visiting a cholera outbreak zone in 2025.