AFRICA · HEALTH
The World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations health agency, said on Tuesday 10 November 2026 that cholera killed more than 3,000 people worldwide in the first nine months of the year. Nearly nine in ten of those deaths were in Africa.
That is fewer deaths than in the same period of 2025, but WHO warned that El Niño, a recurring warming of Pacific waters that shifts rainfall worldwide, could push outbreaks back up. Kenya had its own cholera outbreak across several counties in 2025.
Key Facts
- The toll WHO says cholera killed more than 3,000 people worldwide from January to September 2026, nearly nine in ten in Africa.
- The comparison Cholera killed nearly 7,900 people in 2025, WHO says, the deadliest year since 1999.
- The trend WHO says deaths in January to September 2026 were lower than in the same period of 2025.
- The warning WHO says El Niño, a Pacific warming that shifts rainfall, could worsen outbreaks through flooding and water shortages.
- The goal WHO’s cholera lead Lorenzo Pezzoli says ending cholera as a public health threat by 2030 is still within reach.
What WHO Said
Lorenzo Pezzoli, WHO’s lead for epidemic-prone bacterial diseases, gave the figures at a briefing on Tuesday 10 November 2026. He said the data for January to September show a decline in deaths, yet more than 3,000 people still died from a disease that is preventable and treatable.
Cholera is an infection of the gut caught from contaminated water or food, and it can kill within hours if it is not treated. It is treatable with existing medicines.
Why 2025 Matters
WHO says cholera killed nearly 7,900 people in 2025, making it the deadliest year for the disease since 1999. Its data show that seven countries, namely Angola, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen, accounted for about 90% of global cases and deaths that year.
Five of those seven are in Africa, and WHO says nearly nine in ten of this year’s deaths were on the continent. That pattern links the 2026 toll to the same group of hard-hit countries.
What Is Being Done
The International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision, the body that releases emergency vaccine stocks, approved 71 million cholera vaccine doses last year, WHO said. WHO and Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, support mass vaccination campaigns and better access to clean water and sanitation.
Pezzoli said WHO believes ending cholera as a public health threat by 2030 is still within reach. He added that the goal is achievable because the work is already under way.
Where Kenya Stands
Kenya’s Ministry of Health reported at least 18 cholera deaths across seven affected counties by mid-June 2025. Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, Kenya’s health minister, named the counties as Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Migori, Homa Bay, Kwale and Turkana.
Kenya is not among the seven countries named as carrying most of the 2025 burden. This article carries no 2026 Kenya figure because none could be confirmed.
What It Means for You
For travellers to cholera-affected countries, the main protection is safe drinking water and well-cooked food. The disease was eliminated from high-income countries generations ago by safe water and modern sewage systems.
Earlier outbreaks and vaccine supply problems in the region are covered in our reports on the Cameroon cholera epidemic and the cholera vaccine shortage in southern and eastern Africa. They give background on how outbreaks and vaccine supply interact.
What Is Not Known
It is not known how strongly El Niño will affect East and southern Africa this season, because WHO described only a risk. Deaths from October to December 2026 are not yet counted in the figure.
WHO gave the toll as more than 3,000, not as an exact count. The 2026 situation in Kenya is not confirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people has cholera killed in 2026?
WHO says more than 3,000 people died worldwide from January to September 2026. Nearly nine in ten of those deaths were in Africa.
Is cholera getting better or worse?
Deaths in the first nine months of 2026 were lower than in the same period of 2025, and 2025 was the deadliest year since 1999 with nearly 7,900 deaths. WHO warns that El Niño could worsen outbreaks.
Which countries carry most cholera cases?
WHO data show Angola, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen accounted for about 90% of cases and deaths in 2025. Five of the seven are in Africa.
Is cholera active in Kenya?
Kenya had an outbreak across seven affected counties in 2025, with at least 18 deaths by mid-June of that year. No 2026 national figure could be confirmed, so the current situation is not confirmed.
Sources: World Health Organization, press briefing by Lorenzo Pezzoli on global cholera, 10 Nov 2026; World Health Organization, global cholera data for 2025; Kenya Ministry of Health, statements by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, June 2025.
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