Attachments
In this edition:
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Highlights
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Epidemiological Update
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Focus on Selected Countries
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Operational Updates
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Key Challenges
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Next Steps
Highlights
Data as of 15 May 2023
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Since the last situation report on the multi-country outbreak of cholera was published on 11 May 2023 (covering data reported until 18th of April), no new country reported a cholera outbreak. In total, 24 countries have reported cases since the beginning of 2023.
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The WHO African Region remains the most-affected region with 14 countries reporting cholera cases since the beginning of 2023. Clusters of cases in new geographic areas have been reported in Cameroon, the United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. While Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to report large number of weekly new cases, declining trends with lower number of weekly new cases have been observed in Malawi. After initial reports of imported cases and limited local transmission between February and March 2023 in South Africa, the situation is deteriorating since mid-May with increased local transmission and geographic spread (not covered by this report, which is based on data as of 15 May 2023).
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Since the middle of April 2023, further geographic spread continues to be reported in the Horn of Africa, especially around the Mandera triangle, where borders of Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia meet and population movement drives transmission across borders.
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The overall capacity to respond to the multiple and simultaneous outbreaks continues to be strained due to the global lack of resources, including shortages of the oral cholera vaccine, as well as overstretched public health and medical personnel, who are dealing with multiple disease outbreaks and other health emergencies at the same time.
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Based on the increasing number of outbreaks and their geographic expansion, as well as a lack of vaccines and other resources, WHO continues to assess the risk at global level as very high.