The cholera epidemic is worsening worldwide with 25,000 new cases in March, WHO warns

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the world is facing a resurgence of the cholera epidemic with more than 25,000 new cases in March.

This new WHO warning comes as the January 2023 resurgence of cholera has been classified as a category 3 emergency, its highest level, and the organization this week approved a new cholera vaccine, “Euvichol-S”.

During a press briefing in Geneva, Dr. Philippe Barboza, in charge of cholera and diarrhea at the WHO, indicated that “since then the situation has only gotten worse,” stressing the need to act now to strengthen cholera prevention.

Read also: WHO has requalified the new simplified oral cholera vaccine

In recent years, the number of cases has increased worldwide. Since the beginning of 2023, nearly 825,000 cases of cholera, including 5,900 deaths, have been reported in about thirty countries, according to the count carried out on March 31, 2024.

In March 2024 alone, more than 25,000 new cases of cholera were reported in 16 countries in two WHO regions.

The figures are particularly alarming in the African and Eastern Mediterranean regions.

” WHO considers the current global risk of cholera to be very high and is responding urgently to reduce mortality and contain epidemics in countries around the world.“, emphasized dr. Barboza.

In a press release issued last Friday, the UN organization approved a new simplified version of the “Euvichol-S” oral cholera vaccine that should allow for an increase in total production of these sera in the face of an explosion of cases worldwide.

Furthermore, this crisis is seriously aggravated by a lack of funding, laments the WHO, which warns that without an urgent increase in funding, it will stop providing essential support, thus putting more lives at risk in the 23 countries currently reporting epidemics. .

With MAP