GENEVA, Switzerland / EuroWire.IO / – Ending cholera as a public health threat by 2030 is within reach, because every cholera death can be prevented with tools that already exist, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday, November 10. Dr Lorenzo Pezzoli, WHO lead for epidemic-prone bacterial diseases, told journalists in Geneva that last year was the deadliest for cholera since 1999, with almost 7,900 deaths.
WHO data show that 47 countries reported 451,499 cases and 7,870 deaths in 2025. Most of the deaths happened at community level, before patients could reach health care. Deaths fell in the first nine months of 2026, but more than 3,000 people have still died of the preventable and treatable disease this year. Nearly nine in ten of those deaths were in Africa. The 2025 total was the highest number of reported cholera deaths in more than 25 years.
Pezzoli said patients could recover where there was clean water, basic sanitation and a nearby health centre. In a crowded camp or a village cut off by conflict, however, cholera can turn deadly within hours. The disease spreads through food and water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and causes severe diarrhoea that can lead to dehydration. Prompt treatment with oral rehydration solution can save most patients.
El Niño adds to the risk
Pezzoli warned that El Niño could make matters worse, since both too much and too little water fuel the disease. Floods can contaminate water supplies, while droughts force people to rely on unsafe sources. Changes in rainfall can increase the spread of waterborne diseases. Global health agencies have already urged stronger preparations as El Niño intensifies. The World Meteorological Organization expects the event to reach very strong levels before the end of 2026.
WHO has provided 71 million doses of cholera vaccine. Oral vaccines are used to protect communities during outbreaks and in high-risk areas. The vaccines are given by mouth in one or two doses. Vaccination is used alongside water, sanitation and hygiene measures. Pezzoli said sufficient clean water and sanitation facilities would end cholera for good, but not where conflict is raging. Conflict and displacement can damage water systems and cut off access to health care.
A global roadmap to 2030
The 2030 goal comes from a global roadmap launched in 2017 by the Global Task Force on Cholera Control, a partnership coordinated by WHO. The roadmap aims to cut cholera deaths by 90% and to eliminate the disease in as many as 20 countries by 2030. It focuses on early detection, rapid response and long-term investment in water and sanitation. It also targets the hotspots where most cases occur.
Donors have also stepped up support. In August, the European Commission allocated €2.3 million to fight cholera outbreaks in Nigeria, Cameroon, the Central African Republic and Chad. The money supports treatment, surveillance, clean water and sanitation. Cholera remains endemic in many countries, and WHO says better water and sanitation are the long-term answer. Pezzoli stressed that no one should die from the disease.