ABUJA — Nigeria was among the countries hardest hit by cholera in 2025, recording 548 deaths from 24,354 reported cases, as the global death toll from the preventable disease climbed by about 30 per cent, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The latest WHO global disease surveillance report revealed that 7,870 people died from cholera in 2025, marking the highest annual number of deaths reported to the organization since 1999.
Across the world, 451,499 cholera cases were reported in 47 countries, with Nigeria, Angola, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen accounting for approximately 90 per cent of reported cases and deaths.
The situation was particularly severe in Africa, where reported cholera cases increased by 34 per cent, while deaths jumped by 58 per cent compared with 2024.
WHO, however, warned that the figures may not represent the full scale of the crisis, as many cholera cases and deaths are believed to go unreported, particularly in communities where access to healthcare and disease surveillance systems remains limited.
More Read
Nigeria Records More Than 24,000 Cases
Nigeria’s 2025 figures place the country among the nations that contributed significantly to the global cholera burden.
The disease, caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, is primarily transmitted through food or water contaminated with faecal matter. It can trigger severe diarrhoea and vomiting, resulting in rapid dehydration and death within hours if treatment is not provided promptly.
WHO said more than one in five reported cholera deaths globally in 2025 occurred outside health facilities, highlighting concerns that many patients were unable to access medical care early enough.
More Read
Among patients who received treatment in health facilities, the global case fatality rate remained below one per cent. However, 12 countries recorded fatality rates above that benchmark, according to the organization.
WHO Raises Alarm Over Preventable Deaths
WHO Health Emergencies Programme Executive Director, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, described the increase in cholera deaths as unacceptable, stressing that effective tools for preventing and treating the disease already exist.
“No one should be dying from cholera today when we have the tools to prevent and treat this disease,” Ihekweazu said.
He noted that the concentration of cases and deaths in a relatively small number of countries provided a clear indication of where investments could have the greatest impact.
According to him, improvements in safe water, sanitation and hygiene, combined with stronger healthcare systems, could significantly reduce the disease burden.
More Read
WHO is also calling for stronger disease surveillance systems, greater community engagement, wider access to quality healthcare and expanded vaccination programmes.
Vaccine Production Increases
Despite the worsening global death toll, WHO said there had been progress in the availability of oral cholera vaccines.
Global production of oral cholera vaccines reportedly increased from approximately 30 million doses annually in 2022 to about 80 million doses in 2025, representing more than a doubling of production.
The organization said expanding vaccination, alongside improvements in water, sanitation and hygiene, remains crucial to controlling outbreaks and preventing avoidable deaths.
The latest figures have renewed concerns over the vulnerability of communities where access to clean water, adequate sanitation and timely medical treatment remains limited.
For Nigeria, the figures underscore the continuing importance of strengthening cholera surveillance, improving access to safe drinking water and sanitation facilities, expanding public health education and ensuring that people showing symptoms can reach treatment centres quickly.
