Key facts
- The WHO said cholera killed more than 3,000 people worldwide since the start of 2026.
- Lorenzo Pezzoli, WHO lead for epidemic-prone bacterial diseases, said cholera killed nearly 7,900 people in 2025.
- Pezzoli said 2025 was the deadliest year for cholera since 1999.
- The WHO said its goal of cutting global cholera cases by 90 percent by 2030 remained in reach.
Cholera has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide since the start of 2026, the World Health Organization said on November 10, 2026. The WHO said its goal of cutting global cases by 90 percent by 2030 remained in reach.
The disease killed nearly 7,900 people in 2025, making it "the deadliest year for cholera since 1999", according to Lorenzo Pezzoli, WHO lead for epidemic-prone bacterial diseases.
Data for the first nine months of 2026 show a decline in deaths, the WHO said, though more than 3,000 people have still died.