GENEVA, Switzerland / EuroWire.IO / – More than 3,000 people died of cholera in the first nine months of 2026, nearly nine in ten of them in Africa, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday, November 10. Deaths fell compared with last year, which was the deadliest for cholera since 1999. The agency said ending the disease as a public health threat by 2030 was still within reach.
Dr Lorenzo Pezzoli, WHO lead for epidemic-prone bacterial diseases, told journalists in Geneva that almost 7,900 people died of cholera in 2025. WHO data show that 47 countries reported 451,499 cases and 7,870 deaths that year. Most deaths occurred at community level, before patients could reach health care. Pezzoli said every cholera death could be prevented with tools that already exist. These include vaccines, rehydration treatment and safe water.
Where there is clean water, basic sanitation and a nearby health centre, patients can recover, Pezzoli said. But in a crowded camp or a village cut off by conflict, cholera can turn deadly within hours. The acute diarrhoeal infection is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. Severe cases can lead to dehydration and death if untreated. Most patients can be treated with oral rehydration solution.
Conflict and climate fuel outbreaks
Pezzoli said sufficient clean water and sanitation would end cholera for good, but not where conflict is raging. Fighting and displacement damage water systems and push people into crowded camps with poor sanitation. He also warned that El Niño could make matters worse, because both too much and too little water fuel the disease. Floods can contaminate supplies, while drought forces people to use unsafe sources.
The World Meteorological Organization has warned that El Niño could reach very strong levels before the end of 2026, and health agencies have called for stronger preparedness. Extreme heat, drought and flooding are among the risks linked to the event. Changes in rainfall can increase the spread of waterborne diseases such as cholera in vulnerable regions. Many of the countries most affected by cholera are in Africa.
Vaccines and water key to 2030 goal
WHO has provided 71 million doses of cholera vaccine. Oral vaccines are used in outbreak responses and in high-risk areas, alongside water, sanitation and hygiene measures. The 2030 goal is part of a global roadmap launched in 2017 by the Global Task Force on Cholera Control, which aims to cut cholera deaths by 90% and eliminate the disease in up to 20 countries. The roadmap focuses on early detection, rapid response and investment in water and sanitation.
Donors have also stepped up support. The European Commission allocated €2.3 million in emergency funding in August for cholera responses in Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad. The money supports treatment, surveillance, access to clean water and sanitation. WHO says long-term investment in water and sanitation remains the most effective way to prevent outbreaks. Cholera remains endemic in many low-income countries. Pezzoli said no one should die of the disease.