Haiti among countries reporting increased cases of Cholera

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday the number of deaths caused by cholera is on the rise, globally, with the French-speaking CARICOM country of Haiti among countries recording increased cases.

Using figures provided by the global cholera statistics for 2023, the WHO said over 4,000 people died from the disease last year—a 71 per cent increase compared to 2022. The number of reported cases also increased by 13 per cent.

Cholera is an acute intestinal infection spread through contaminated food and water. While it is preventable and easily treatable, communities with limited access to sanitation are most affected.

The WHO said conflict, climate change, inadequate safe water and sanitation, poverty, underdevelopment, and population displacement due to emerging and re-emerging conflicts and disasters from natural hazards all contributed to the rise in cholera outbreaks last year.

It said that the geographical distribution of cholera changed significantly from 2022 to 2023, with a 32 per cent decrease in cases reported from the Middle East and Asia, and a 125 per cent increase in Africa.

This is the first year that multiple countries have reported “community deaths”, which occur outside of health facilities.

In five out of 13 reporting countries, over a third of cholera deaths occurred in the community, highlighting serious gaps in access to treatment and the need to strengthen this area of response.

While Afghanistan reported the highest number of cases with 222,249, African countries such as The Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, and Mozambique, and the Caribbean country of Haiti, also continued to report significant outbreaks of over 30,000 cases per country.

The WHO said the global cholera crisis continues into 2024, with 22 countries currently reporting active outbreaks—although the number of cases reported so far in 2024 is lower compared to the same period last year, according to preliminary data.

The WHO said despite the low stockpile of oral cholera vaccines, a record 35 million doses were shipped last year, with the one-dose strategy in effect to reach and protect more people given limited supplies.

While vaccination is an important tool, the WHO notes that safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene remain the only long-term and sustainable solutions to ending cholera outbreaks and preventing future ones.

The WHO said it is responding with urgency to reduce deaths and contain outbreaks in countries around the world. The UN agency continues to support countries through strengthened public health surveillance, case management, and prevention measures alongside the provision of essential medical supplies. —GENEVA (CMC)

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