WHO says it needs US$50m to fight cholera Malawi, other countries

World Health Organization (WHO) says  it has a deficit of US$50 million to respond to cholera outbreaks in Malawi and other countries in 2024.

In a recent report published by WHO on September 4, titled, Global Cholera Statistics for 2023, cholera cases and deaths had increased in the said year in 45 countries from 44  the previous year and 35 in 2021 reported cases.

Findings, in the report show that the number of cholera cases increased by 13% and deaths by 71% in 2023 compared to 22 implying that that over 4,000 people died last year from Cholera which is said to be preventable and easily treatable.

Malawi, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia continued to report large outbreaks of over 10,000 suspected or confirmed cases with Ethiopia, Haiti, Mozambique and Zimbabwe adding to the tally in 2023.

The report also indicated an increase in demand for vholera materials such as oral cholera vaccines (OCV) diagnostic tests and essential medications like oral rehydration salts and intravenous fluids for rehydration persisted in 2023.

Malawi was declared cholera free as of July 10, 2024, after grappling with the outbreak since March 3 2022,

Malawi had been battling with a protracted outbreak registering a total of 59,376 cases and 1,772 deaths.

Following the cholera free declaration by the Ministry of Health and the Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHI), health ambassador Maziko Matemba said  there was a need to call on citizens to adhere to best hygiene practices to avoid a resurgence of the disease.

“We are calling on Malawians to ensure they do not lax on hygiene practices, Ministry of Health and other stakeholders should continue to sensitize people on Cholera prevention, that way we will prevent future outbreaks,” Matemba stated.

WHO considers the current global risk from cholera as very high and is responding with urgency to reduce deaths and contain outbreaks in countries around the world.