You cholera cases increased in 2022, especially in places of poverty and conflict. Outbreaks have been reported in 26 countries and death rates are rising sharply, an official from the World Health Organization (WHO) this Friday (30th).
In a typical year, fewer than 20 countries report outbreaks of the disease that is spread by eating contaminated food or water and can cause acute diarrhea.
“After years of declining numbers, we are seeing a very worrying increase in cholera outbreaks across the world since last year,” Philippe Barboza, WHO Cholera Team Leader, told a news conference in Genevain Switzerland.
The average death rate so far has nearly tripled this year compared to the five-year average and is currently around 3% in Africa, he added.
Although most affected people have mild or no symptoms, cholera can kill within hours if left untreated.
Barboza also expressed concern about outbreaks in the Horn of Africa and parts of Asia, including Pakistan, where some regions are flooded.
He said that just a few million doses of vaccines are available for use before the end of this year, citing a lack of manufacturers among the problems.
WHO maintains an emergency stockpile of cholera vaccines.
“So it’s very clear that we don’t have enough vaccines to respond to so many acute outbreaks and even less to be able to implement vaccination preventive measures that can be a way of reducing risk for many countries,” he said.
(Additional reporting by Jennifer Rigby)
Source: CNN Brasil
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