Global deaths from cholera increased by 30% in 2025, reaching the highest annual level reported to the World Health Organization since 1999, despite a decline in the number of reported cases.

According to the latest global assessment, 47 countries reported 451,499 cholera cases and 7,870 deaths to WHO during 2025. The figures highlight the continuing threat posed by a disease that is preventable and treatable when people have access to safe water, sanitation and timely medical care.

Deaths Rise Despite Fewer Reported Cases

The increase in deaths is one of the most significant findings in the latest global cholera assessment.

WHO cautioned that reported figures do not represent the full global burden because cholera cases and deaths are frequently missed or reported late, particularly in areas affected by conflict, displacement, weak health systems and limited disease surveillance.

Seven countries — Angola, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen — accounted for around 90% of reported cholera cases and deaths worldwide.

Africa Carries a Major Burden

The WHO African Region experienced a particularly sharp deterioration during 2025.

Compared with 2024, reported cholera cases in the region increased by 34%, while deaths rose by 58%.

Several factors can contribute to the spread of cholera, including inadequate access to clean drinking water, poor sanitation, population displacement and disruptions to healthcare services.

Many Deaths Occur Outside Health Facilities

Another concern identified by WHO is delayed access to medical treatment.

More than one in five reported cholera deaths in 2025 occurred outside health facilities. This suggests that many seriously ill patients were unable to reach appropriate medical care in time.

Cholera can cause severe dehydration within a short period. Rapid treatment with rehydration therapy can dramatically reduce the risk of death, making early recognition and access to healthcare particularly important.

Vaccines Becoming More Available

There has also been progress in the global response.

Production of oral cholera vaccines more than doubled between 2022 and 2025, increasing from approximately 30 million doses to around 80 million doses annually.

The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision approved 71 million doses for use in affected countries during 2025, including doses for preventive vaccination campaigns.

Preventive vaccination resumed earlier in 2026 after having been suspended for more than three years because of supply shortages.

Safe Water Remains Critical

WHO continues to emphasise that vaccination alone cannot eliminate cholera.

The disease is primarily transmitted through food or water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. Improving drinking-water systems, sanitation and hygiene therefore remains central to controlling outbreaks.

Investment in these basic services can reduce the risk of repeated outbreaks while also improving wider public health.

Meningitis and Plague Also Monitored

The WHO assessment also examined two other epidemic-prone bacterial diseases: meningitis and plague.

In 2025, 24 of 26 countries in Africa’s meningitis belt reported 21,526 suspected meningitis cases and 971 deaths. WHO said vaccination continues to play an important role in reducing meningococcal disease.

For plague, 10 countries reported suspected human cases between 2019 and 2025. During that period, 3,847 suspected cases and 423 deaths were reported to WHO, with most cases coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Madagascar.

Global Health Response Remains Essential

The latest figures demonstrate that infectious diseases continue to pose serious challenges despite advances in vaccines, treatment and disease surveillance.

WHO says targeted investment in safe water, sanitation and hygiene, combined with vaccination, stronger surveillance and rapid access to quality healthcare, can significantly reduce deaths from cholera.

The organisation’s latest assessment therefore puts renewed emphasis on strengthening basic public-health infrastructure while ensuring that communities affected by outbreaks can receive timely treatment.