Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, announced this during an online news conference.
Ghebreyesus stated that the organization is providing essential supplies, coordinating the on-ground response with partners, supporting countries in detecting, preventing, and treating cholera, and educating people on how to protect themselves.
“To support this work, we have appealed for 160 million dollars, and we have released more than 16 million dollars from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies.
“But the real solution to cholera lies in ensuring everyone has access to safe water and sanitation, which is an internationally recognized human right,” he said.
According to him, WHO recently published new data indicating that cases reported in 2022 were more than double those in 2021.
He noted that preliminary data for 2023 suggests it is likely to be even worse.
“So far, 28 countries have reported cases in 2023 compared with 16 during the same period in 2022.
“The countries with the most concerning outbreaks right now are Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, and Sudan.
“Significant progress has been made in countries in Southern Africa, including Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, but these countries remain at risk as the rainy season approaches,” Ghebreyesus said.
He pointed out that the worst-affected countries and communities are poor, lacking access to safe drinking water or toilets.
He added that they also face shortages of oral cholera vaccine and other supplies, as well as overstretched health workers, who are dealing with multiple disease outbreaks and other health emergencies.
Regarding COVID-19, Ghebreyesus mentioned that as the northern hemisphere winter approaches, the organization continues to see concerning trends.
He noted that among the relatively few countries that report them, both hospitalizations and ICU admissions have increased in the past 28 days, particularly in the Americas and Europe.
The WHO boss also expressed concern over low vaccination levels among the most at-risk groups.
“Two-thirds of the world’s population has received a complete primary series, but only one-third has received an additional, or “booster” dose.
“COVID-19 may no longer be the acute crisis it was two years ago, but that does not mean we can ignore it,” he said.
