Cholera Outbreak Expands to Three Countries

Three new outbreaks of cholera and/or Acute Watery Diarrhoea were recently reported from Uganda, Sudan, and the Republic of the Congo.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) Edition #6, 28 countries have reported cholera cases since the beginning of 2023.  

The WHO African Region remains the most affected region, with 16 countries reporting cholera outbreaks since the beginning of the year.  

As of September 5, 2023, the overall capacity to respond to multiple and simultaneous outbreaks continues to be strained due to the global lack of resources, including shortages of oral cholera vaccines (OCV).

The WHO has pre-qualified three OCVs for use in 2023.

Based on the large number of outbreaks, their geographic expansion, and a lack of vaccines and other resources, WHO continues to assess the risk at the global level as very high.

In the U.S., there are very few cholera cases reported.