WHO: Nigeria Among Seven Nations Behind 90% of Global Cholera Cases and Deaths
Nigeria and six other countries were responsible for roughly nine out of every ten cholera cases and deaths reported worldwide in 2025, according to the World Health Organisation.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the WHO said 47 countries logged cholera infections and fatalities during the year, while cautioning that the numbers are based on surveillance data and therefore fall short of the true global burden.
Globally, 451,499 cases were reported to the WHO, while deaths jumped by 30 per cent to 7,870 — the highest yearly figure recorded since 1999.
The seven countries driving the bulk of the burden were listed as Angola, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen.
Africa carried the heaviest load, with the WHO African Region recording a 34 per cent rise in cases and a 58 per cent increase in deaths compared with 2024.
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, WHO Executive Director of the Health Emergencies Programme, said the surge underscored the need for focused spending on safe water, sanitation and hygiene.
He added that improved surveillance, community involvement, vaccination and access to quality healthcare could turn the trend around and stop deaths that should not happen.
Ihekweazu described cholera as an acute diarrhoeal illness triggered by Vibrio cholerae bacteria, which is transmitted through food or water contaminated with faeces, especially in places where sanitation is poor.
While the disease is both preventable and treatable, he noted that severe dehydration can kill patients who are not treated quickly.
More than one in five reported cholera deaths occurred away from health facilities, he said, even as the fatality rate for patients treated in facilities stayed under one per cent globally.
Twelve countries nevertheless recorded facility-based cholera fatality rates above one per cent in 2025, pointing to persistent gaps in timely and effective care.
On the vaccine front, Ihekweazu said global production of oral cholera vaccine more than doubled from about 30 million doses in 2022 to roughly 80 million doses a year in 2025.
The International Coordinating Group approved 71 million doses for affected countries during 2025, he said, including 20 million for preventive vaccination, which restarted after a pause of more than three years.
Turning to meningitis, he reported that 24 of the 26 countries in Africa's meningitis belt recorded 21,526 suspected cases and 971 deaths in 2025, a fatality rate of 4.5 per cent.
Among countries that submitted data for both 2024 and 2025, meningitis cases fell by 5.9 per cent, with vaccination credited for gains against meningococcal disease.
Since the meningococcal A conjugate vaccine was introduced in 2010, serogroup A cases have dropped by over 99 per cent in vaccinated populations, he said.
A five-serogroup meningococcal vaccine, Men5CV/MMCV, is now being rolled out for outbreak response and preventive campaigns, with Niger running the first nationwide campaign in 2025.
On plague, Ihekweazu said 10 countries reported suspected human cases between 2019 and 2025, and six of them confirmed infections during that period.
A total of 3,847 suspected plague cases and 423 deaths were recorded, an 11 per cent case fatality rate, with Congo and Madagascar supplying most of the cases.
He said the WHO will keep monitoring rodents and other animal populations while maintaining rapid outbreak response, which he described as vital for detecting plague early and stopping wider spread.
to like, bookmark, and comment.
Comments
Join the conversation:
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.