"A new World Health Organization analysis suggests cholera is surging worldwide, with the number of cholera cases doubling from 2021 to 2022.
The statistics show rising cholera rates and larger outbreaks around the globe, with 44 countries reporting cholera cases in 2022. The largest outbreaks, all exceeding 10,000 documented or suspected cases, took place in Afghanistan, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Nigeria, Somalia and Syria, the agency reports.
Overall, the WHO tallied 472,697 cases worldwide last year, compared with 223,370 the previous year. In 2022, 2,349 people died of cholera, the WHO reported.
Cholera is spread by food or water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae, a bacterium that causes acute diarrhea and dehydration. Though most people infected with cholera are asymptomatic, the disease can be deadly. It is most common in overcrowded areas that lack sanitation, such as refugee camps and slums, and disproportionately affects people in communities that are already contending with challenges such as poverty, humanitarian and climate crises, and wars."
Erin Blakemore reports for the Washington Post September 30, 2023.
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