The World Health Organization announced that three new countries have reported a cholera outbreak on their soil, while 22 countries are now battling the epidemic in the organization’s five regions with high death rates. The organization said in a statement today: Conflict, poverty, climate change and natural disasters are fueling the outbreak, explaining that more than one billion people in 43 countries are at direct risk of contracting cholera, and this increase is putting a strain on global response capabilities.
She added that the supply of drugs for cholera diagnostic tests is severely limited, noting that the organization will work with UNICEF and other partners to increase the limited global supply of vaccines.
The organization said that there is still a shortage of vaccines to supply the affected countries, while calling on donor countries to provide $25 million to fight cholera this year.
