No fewer than 194,897 persons have died due to a cholera outbreak from January 1st, 2024 to May 26th, 2024 and1, 932 cases recoded globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
According to World health body, Eastern Mediterranean Region recorded the highest numbers of the reported cases from 24 countries across five WHO regions.
The global stockpile of Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV) was depleted until early March but exceeded the emergency target of 5 million doses in early June for the first time in 2024.
As of June 10th, 2024, the stockpile has 6.2 million doses.In 2022, 44 countries reported cholera cases, a 25% increase from the 35 countries that reported cases in 2021.
The recent outbreaks have also been more deadly, with case fatality rates being the highest recorded in over a decade.
The global resurgence of cholera was classified as a grade three emergency in January 2023, the highest internal level for emergencies in World Health Organization.
WHO considers the current global risk from cholera as very high and is responding urgently to reduce deaths and contain outbreaks in countries around the world.
WHO is also working with other partners such as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to find long-term solutions for cholera.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection that spreads through food and water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, often from faeces with safe water and sanitation, cholera can be prevented, but immediate access to treatment saves lives.
Veteran journalist and recipient of A.B.C Yola, Reporter of the Year Award (1997), Hassan Umar Shallpella, works with WAP as a Regional Correspondence. He was trained at Institute of Mass Communication and Technology Jos and Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Training School Lagos.He was a News desk Editor and a Correspondent at the Punch newspaper and till 2019, was the Deputy Editor ofThe Scope newspaper.
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