May 3, 2026: Cholera cases fell 17% month-on-month to 16,198 in 16 countries across three regions of the World Health Organization in March, according to a statement from the global health agency on April 30.
The African Region registered the highest number of cases, followed by the Eastern Mediterranean Region and the South-East Asia Region. In March, 225 cholera-related deaths were reported globally, representing a 10% decrease from the previous month. No cases were reported from the Region of the Americas, the European Region or the Western Pacific Region during this time.
Cholera cases and deaths in March 2026 were 56% and 66% lower than the same period last year (36,491 cases and 662 deaths across 26 countries).
For the year so far, from 1 January to 29 March 2026, a total of 58,740 cholera and acute watery diarrhoea cases, and 732 deaths were reported from 22 countries across four WHO regions, according to the statement.
Mpox transmission
In recent years, conflict, mass displacement, disasters associated with natural hazards and climate-related events have contributed to conditions that may facilitate cholera transmission, particularly in rural and flood-affected areas where poor infrastructure and limited access to healthcare can delay treatment. These cross-border factors have made cholera outbreaks increasingly complex and harder to control.
Transmission of mpox continues mostly within sexual networks, affecting men and women, often followed by household transmission and, in some areas, affecting all age groups. All clades of monkeypox virus continue to circulate. Rapid containment of mpox outbreaks is essential to prevent community transmission in any setting.
In March 2026, 48 countries across all WHO regions reported a total of 1,235 confirmed mpox cases, including five deaths. Of these cases, 70.4% were reported in the WHO African Region.
Four WHO regions – the Region of the Americas, African, European, and South-East Asian regions – reported a decline in confirmed cases in March, compared to February 2026, while the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Pacific Regions reported an increase in confirmed cases.
