According to a new report from the World Health Organization, cases of cholera significantly increased worldwide last year. This was reported by the Press Service of the Ministry of Health.
In particular, nearly 805 thousand people in 33 countries were diagnosed with this disease. More than 5,800 patients have died due to the epidemic. Worryingly, this is almost 100,000 more than in 2023, and compared to 2022, it's 340,000 more.
The high growth dynamics were mainly recorded in the Eastern Mediterranean region. In particular, Yemen led in this regard: last year, more than 260,000 new cases were registered in the country.
The epidemic has also surged in African countries: in Sudan 51,000, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 31,000, in Ethiopia 27,000, and in Nigeria over 24,000 people have been identified with cholera.
Experts conclude that it is possible to control this disease. However, due to low profitability, pharmaceutical companies have almost ceased the production of vaccines against cholera.
This is because most cholera outbreaks are identified in the poorest countries. Naturally, they are not able to purchase such protective measures in large quantities.
Moreover, the provision of clean drinking water, adhering to sanitation and hygiene rules remains the only solution to stop the cholera epidemic.
