Multi-country outbreak of cholera, External situation report #3 - 1 June 2023

Overview

Since the last situation report on the multi-country outbreak of cholera was published on 11 May 2023 (covering data reported until 18^th of April), no new country reported a cholera outbreak. In total, 24 countries have reported cases since the beginning of 2023. 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. 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. 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.