Where is Cholera a Health Risk

Cholera pandemics have accelerated since mid-2021, according to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) statement that noted the pandemic’s “alarmingly high mortality rates.”

Cholera can be a life-threatening disease caused by bacteria called Vibrio cholerae. People get Cholera from unsafe food or water, says the WHO.

As of April 15, 2023, 24 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean are reporting cholera outbreaks, with other African nations of Malawi, Tanzania, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Zambia experiencing outbreaks since mid-February 2023, wrote Emily Harris in a news article published by The JAMA Network on April 5, 2023.

For example, in Mozambique, the first cholera case was reported from the Lago district in Niassa province in September 2022. As of February 19, 2023, a cumulative total of 5,237 suspected cases and 37 related fatalities (Case Fatality Ratio 0.7%) have been reported in 29 districts from six out of 11 provinces in Mozambique.

Furthermore, Malawi had among the highest total cholera cases and the most related fatalities, 54,841 and 1,684, respectively, as of March 20, 2023.

The shortages of oral cholera vaccines (OCV) have strained the worldwide response for months.

But a few countries have been able to launch OCV campaigns.

On March 8, 2023, the WHO, the Syria Immunization Group, and others announced a cholera vaccination campaign would focus on northwest Syria. During this campaign, 1.7 million doses of an OCV would be offered to Syrians above one year of age.

In the U.S., nearly all cholera cases were acquired during international travel.

For example, as of December 2022, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed (8) travelers infected with Cholera arrived from Pakistan, Iraq, and Bangladesh.

To prevent Cholera, the CDC says a single dose of the Vaxchora vaccine is advised for people traveling to areas of active cholera transmission.

However, Vaxchora is currently unavailable in the U.S.

Other oral cholera vaccines are approved by the WHO, such as DUKORAL®.

Unfortunately, Dukoral is not available in the U.S. but is available in various countries as of April 15, 2023.

The CDC’s Travel Health website helps identify areas with active cholera transmission.