The World Health Organization (WHO), has announced a cumulative death of 194, 897 deaths and 1,932 cases globally as a result of cholera outbreak.
A statement by the health organisation’s Eastern
Mediterranean Region, said the outbreaks were recorded from the 1st of January, 2024 to the 26th of May, 2024.
The cases were reported from 24 countries across five WHO
regions, with the Eastern Mediterranean Region recording the highest numbers,
followed by the African Region, the Region of the Americas, the South-East Asia
Region, and the European Region.
No outbreaks were reported in the Western Pacific Region
during this time.
“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 10 June 2024, the stockpile has
6.2 million doses. However, demand for the vaccine continues to outpace supply.
Since January 2023, 92 million OCV doses were requested by 16 countries, nearly
double the 49 million doses produced during this period,” it said.
By March, the UN health agency said it exhausted its global
stockpile of Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV). Still, it was able to exceed “the
emergency target of five million doses in early June for the first time in
2024.”
WHO reported that 16 countries requested 92 million doses of
OCV since January last year – almost double the 49 million produced during that
time.
It said it was working with other partners such as the UN
Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and others, to use resources to find long-term
solutions for cholera.
WHO classified the global resurgence of cholera as a grade
three emergency in January 2023, the highest internal level for emergencies in
WHO. Based on the number of outbreaks and their geographic expansion, alongside
the shortage of vaccines and other resources, WHO said it continues to assess
the risk at the global level, as very high and the event remains classified as
a grade three emergency.
After decades of progress against cholera, cases are again
on the rise, even in countries that have not seen the disease in years.
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. Although
it can kill within hours when not treated, however, immediate access to
treatment saves lives.
While the triggers for cholera outbreaks—like poverty and
conflict—are enduring, climate change and conflict are now compounding the
problem. Extreme climate events like floods, cyclones and droughts, reduce
access to clean water and create an ideal environment for cholera to thrive.
In 2022, 44 countries reported cholera cases, a 25 per cent
increase from the 35 countries that reported cases in 2021. The trend continued
into 2023.
“The recent outbreaks have also been more deadly, with case
fatality rates being the highest recorded in over a decade.
“This increase in outbreaks and cases is stretching the
global capacity to respond. There is a shortage of cholera tools, including
vaccines,’ the statement added.
WHO said it considered the current global risk from cholera
as very high, and is responding with urgency to reduce deaths and contain
outbreaks in countries around the world.
In Nigeria, the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor
on Health, Kemi Ogunyemi, said that the number of recorded fatalities, as a
result of the outbreak has risen to 21 following the last update which reported
350 suspected cases and 15 fatalities.
In the same vein, the Ogun State Government has confirmed
the outbreak which has claimed the life of a 62-year-old woman, and five
persons hospitalised.