Cholera is spreading in outbreaks around the world, but it is the death rate from the disease that is most worrying to public health officials.
A new study from the World Health Organization say the fatality rate from the gastrointestinal disease is rising much faster than the number of cases.
For example, the number of deaths from cholera reported last year rose by 71 percent compared to 2022, but the total number of cases rose by only 13 percent. The WHO report blames this on climate change (it’s not clear what the mechanism would be) and political and military conflicts.
The deadly disease is also easy and cheap to treat, but third-world countries often struggle to get the necessary drugs and doctors to keep it under control. The WHO says another part of the problem is that the increased caseload is overwhelming health services even if they’re well-equipped because they have not been able to prepare to treat the growing number of cases.
Phillippe Barboza, who heads the cholera division of the WHO, said it was “totally unacceptable” for death rates to outpace the diagnosis of new cases at such an alarming rate. He said the world at large is not interested in getting on top of the disease, which affects “the poorest people” who don’t even have clean drinking water.
According to official numbers, 4,000 people died around the globe from cholera in 2023. But that may be a severe undercount. Dr. Barboza said that data models suggest the true figure could be well above 100,000 deaths annually.
Cholera is not something that most Westerners think about as it is a disease spread primarily through overcrowding and poor sewage and sanitation infrastructure. But once it takes hold, cholera can kill the weakest patients in less than a day. It does so through dehydration; cholera causes nearly endless vomiting and diarrhea. Of course, someone emitting such a high volume of bodily fluids is likely to pass along the disease to those around him.
Dr. Barboza is frustrated to see so many cholera deaths in 2024 when, he says, all it takes to treat is a bag of saline solution that costs 50 cents and a round of affordable antibiotics. The treatment for cholera is supportive, meaning it aims to replace the body’s water that is lost through the sickness.
Last year 45 countries reported cholera cases, which is an increase from 35 countries reporting in 2022. Africa is the world’s hotspot for the disease now; the continent has seen a 125 percent increase in cases.
