Multi-country outbreak of cholera, External situation report #15 - 19 June 2024

Overview

From 1 January 2024 to 26 May 2024, a cumulative total of 194 897 cholera cases and 1932 deaths were reported from 24 countries across five WHO regions, with the Eastern Mediterranean Region recording the highest numbers, followed by the African Region, the Region of the Americas, the South-East Asia Region, and the European Region. No outbreaks were reported in the Western Pacific Region during this time.

The global stockpile of Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV) was depleted until early March but exceeded the emergency target of 5 million doses in early June for the first time in 2024. As of 10 June 2024, the stockpile has 6.2 million doses. However, demand for the vaccine continues to outpace supply. Since January 2023, 92 million OCV doses were requested by 16 countries, nearly double the 49 million doses produced during this period.

WHO classified the global resurgence of cholera as a grade 3 emergency in January 2023, the highest internal level for emergencies in WHO. Based on the number of outbreaks and their geographic expansion, alongside the shortage of vaccines and other resources, WHO continues to assess the risk at the global level as very high and the event remains classified as a grade 3 emergency.