Cholera is on a rampage; underdevelopment and the climate crisis are mostly to blame.

Cases of the disease sharply rose over 2022, with 31 countries reporting outbreaks by the end of the year — 14 of which had zero cases of cholera just one year prior. Fortunately, this number decreased by 2023, with only 18 countries reporting continued epidemics — however, current outbreaks are worsening and beginning to spread.

To make matters worse, the World Health Organization’s Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced a global shortage of the two-dose vaccine that helps to protect against cholera. This has meant that those tasked with rolling out vaccines have had to change strategy from administering two doses, to administering just one. While one dose does provide protection from the disease, there’s no telling how long that protection lasts, meaning that it is only a temporary solution.

Meanwhile, according to the WHO, Malawi is currently experiencing its deadliest outbreak of cholera in history. Over 1,300 citizens have lost their lives to the disease, and as of February, the country is scrambling with an under-supported health care system and low access to vaccines and medical equipment to manage over 40,000 cases of infected citizens.

What Is Cholera? 

Cholera is a waterborne disease caused by eating or drinking contaminated water or food. It is a fast acting diarrheal disease that can kill within a matter of hours.

Imagine a fly drops into your cup of coffee and has clung to the inside of your mug. The longer it sits there, the more it contaminates your coffee. Every time you pour out a bit of your drink to push the contaminants out, you lose coffee, but the contaminants remain.

You continue to pour out your coffee until you’re left with nothing but an empty mug, and the fly that flew into it. The way the fly acts, is somewhat how the bacteria that causes cholera acts.

Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium in question, attaches itself to the intestines and releases a deadly toxin. In response, the body directs all of its fluids into the gut to try and flush it out. This leads to a diuretic reaction that weakens the body, and can lead to death.

How does it impact the mission to end extreme poverty and systemic causes of extreme poverty? 

Cholera is directly linked to not having access to clean water and sanitation, which impacts the United Nations’ Global Goal 6 (for clean water and sanitation access for all). The majority of cholera outbreaks take place in underdeveloped global south countries that have limited or no access to sanitation and clean water. In 2022, some of the most concerning outbreaks were seen in Pakistan (which experienced significant flooding over the course of the year), Syria, Lebanon, Malawi, Haiti, and the Philippines — all of which are still countries to watch when it comes to the crisis.

Read the full article about global fight against cholera by Khanyi Mlaba at Global Citizen.