The World Health Organization has warned of the dangers of a cholera outbreak, especially after the rise in cases of infection, which reached 40,900 authorized cases and 775 deaths during the past month.
These cases are distributed among 17 countries in four regions: Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Americas, and Southeast Asia.
A statement issued by the organization on Monday in Geneva stated that Zambia and Zimbabwe witnessed the highest rates of outbreak of the disease.
The communication classified the global outbreak of cholera as a level three emergency in January 2023, which is the highest internal level of emergency.
Based on the number of outbreaks and their geographic spread, as well as the lack of vaccines and other resources, the organization continues to assess the global risk as “very high.”
The organization stated that in 2023, cases of cholera were reported in 30 countries across five WHO regions, including nine countries that recorded more than 10,000 cases.
She warned that the global response to cholera is still affected by the severe shortage of oral vaccines, highlighting that from January 2023 to January 2024, urgent requests for the vaccine increased, as 14 countries requested 76 million doses, while only 38 million doses were available during this period.