GENEVA

Cholera has claimed the lives of more than 1,500 people in just three months, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported, as the disease continues to spread across vulnerable regions driven by conflict, displacement, and climate-related disasters.

Between Jan. 1 and March 30, 2025, a total of 116,574 cholera cases and 1,514 deaths were recorded across 25 countries in three WHO regions, according to the latest multi-country report released on Tuesday.

The African region reported the highest number of infections and fatalities, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean and South-East Asia regions.

In March alone, 517 people died from cholera-related complications, with 32,985 new cases reported across 22 countries -- marking a modest decline from February but underscoring the continued severity of the global outbreak.

Despite stabilizing the global Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) stockpile at 5.2 million doses, WHO warned that rising global demand still far outpaces supply, hampering efforts to swiftly respond to outbreaks and implement preventive campaigns.

"Conflict, mass displacement, natural disasters, and climate change are intensifying cholera outbreaks, especially in rural and flood-affected areas where access to clean water and healthcare is limited," the UN agency said in the update. "These cross-border factors have made cholera outbreaks increasingly complex and harder to control."

Cholera is a preventable and treatable disease, but without timely access to care, it can kill within hours. WHO continues to call for urgent global support to improve water, sanitation, healthcare infrastructure, and vaccine production to curb the spread of the deadly disease.