Cholera Deaths Rise 46 Percent in 2025: WHO

Cholera outbreaks are spreading in certain African countries.

Eliza Tangwe, 18, takes a dose of oral cholera vaccine at a health center in response to the latest cholera outbreak in Blantyre, Malawi, on Nov. 16, 2022. Eldson Chagara/Reuters

Global cholera cases this year have declined from 2024, but deaths have surged by 46 percent, driven largely by conflict and poverty and posing a significant public health challenge across several regions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Aug. 29.

“Between 1 January and 17 August 2025, a total of 409,222 cholera/Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) cases and 4,738 deaths were reported globally, from 31 countries, with six of the 31 countries reporting case fatality rates above 1 percent, indicating serious gaps in case management and delayed access to care,” the WHO said in an update.