THE United Nations’ (UN) World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced a spike in cholera in several regions of the world, with almost 195,000 cases and over 1,900 deaths reported in 24 countries since the start of this year.
WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region reported the highest number of cases, followed by the African region, the region of the Americas, the Southeast Asia region, and the European region.
WHO, in a statement on Thursday, June 20, said there were no reported cases in the Western region, according to its bulletin released on Wednesday, June 19.
The agency said it exhausted its global stockpile of Oral Cholera Vaccines (OCV) by March, this year, but was able to exceed “the emergency target of five million doses in early June for the first time in 2024.”
Yet, the supply of the vaccine does not equate to its demand.
WHO reported that since January last year, 16 countries requested 92 million doses of OCV, almost double the 49 million produced during that time.
WHO, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners are working together to use resources to find long-term solutions for cholera.
