“Bell” from the WHO: Cholera epidemics have increased this year worldwide

There was an increase this year cases of cholera in the world, mainly in areas affected by poverty and conflict, with 26 countries already announcing outbreaks on their territory and the death toll rising rapidly, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced.

During a typical year, cholera outbreaks occur in fewer than 20 countries.

“After years of declining numbers, last year we saw an alarming increase in cholera outbreaks around the world,” said Philip Barbosa, head of the WHO’s cholera team.

The average death rate so far this year has almost tripled from the five-year average and is now around 3% in Africa, he added.

Although most patients experience mild or no symptoms, cholera can cause death within hours without treatment.

A cholera outbreak in Syria has already killed at least 33 people, while there are fears that it will spread to neighboring countries as well as to displaced people’s camps where people are living in overcrowded conditions.

Barbosa also expressed concern about cholera outbreaks in the Horn of Africa and parts of Asia, including Pakistan, which has been hit by devastating floods.

According to him, only a few million doses of vaccines are available for use by the end of the year, citing a lack of manufacturers among the various problems that exist.

WHO has an emergency stockpile of cholera vaccines.

“So it is very clear that we do not have sufficient vaccines to deal with acute epidemics and even less to be able to start preventive vaccination campaigns which would be a means to reduce the risk for many countries,” he stressed.

Barbosa said there is no global estimate of cholera cases worldwide because countries have different surveillance systems for the disease.

RES-EMP

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