WHO: Cholera Deaths Climb 30 Percent to Deadliest Level Since 1999
In its latest global trends report, the WHO said 47 countries reported 451,499 cholera cases and 7,870 deaths last year. That is the highest annual death toll reported to the agency since 1999.
The UN health agency cautioned that the numbers reflect reported surveillance data only. The true global burden is believed to be substantially higher because of underreporting.
Seven countries, Angola, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen, accounted for around 90% of all reported cases and deaths.
Africa hit hardest
Africa carried the heaviest burden. Compared with 2024, reported cases there rose 34% and deaths jumped 58%.
"The rise in cholera deaths is a reminder of the challenge ahead," said Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of WHO's Health Emergencies Program. "No one should be dying from cholera today when we have the tools to prevent and treat this disease," he added.
More than one in five reported cholera deaths took place outside health facilities, a sign that many patients did not reach care in time.
The WHO said production of oral cholera vaccine more than doubled, from around 30 million doses in 2022 to roughly 80 million a year in 2025.
Meningitis and plague
The agency also reported on other diseases. In 2025, 24 of the 26 countries in the African meningitis surveillance network reported 21,526 suspected cases and 971 deaths, a fatality rate of 4.5%. Among countries that submitted data for both 2024 and 2025, cases fell 5.9%.
Vaccination has sharply curbed meningococcal meningitis caused by serogroup A, the WHO said. Cases have dropped by more than 99% among vaccinated populations, and no confirmed cases have been reported since 2017 in countries that introduced the vaccine.
A broader five-strain vaccine is now being rolled out for outbreak response and preventive campaigns. Niger became the first country to run a nationwide campaign with it in 2025.
On plague, 10 countries reported 3,860 suspected human cases and 423 deaths between 2019 and 2025, an 11% fatality rate. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Madagascar accounted for 97.7% of cases.
The WHO stressed that continued surveillance and rapid outbreak response remain essential, particularly where plague is endemic.
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