Cholera Crisis: Nigeria among seven worst-hit nations as global deaths surge

Global cholera deaths surged by 30 percent in 2025, despite a decline in reported infections, according to the World Health Organization. The agency reported 47 countries recorded 451,499 cholera cases and 7,870 deaths, marking the deadliest year since 1999. Seven nations—Angola, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen—accounted for about 90 percent of global cases and fatalities.

Africa experienced the most significant deterioration, with reported cases up 34 percent and deaths up 58 percent from 2024. Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the WHO's Executive Director of the Health Emergencies Programme, warned that many cholera deaths could be prevented with prompt medical intervention and improved access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene.

The agency noted that over 20 percent of recorded cholera deaths occurred outside health facilities, indicating a significant number of untreated cases. Despite this, the global case-fatality rate remained below one percent when patients received treatment in health facilities. However, 12 countries saw rates exceeding one percent in 2025.

The WHO also expanded access to oral cholera vaccines, producing approximately 80 million doses in 2025 compared to 30 million in 2022. In Africa, 24 of the 26 countries in the meningitis belt reported 21,526 suspected meningitis cases and 971 deaths in 2025, with a 5.9 percent decline in suspected cases compared to the previous year.

The WHO recorded 10 countries notifying human plague infections between 2019 and 2025, with six reporting confirmed cases and 3,847 suspected cases and 423 deaths over the seven-year period.