Ending cholera: powerful solutions that will prevent avoidable deaths

No one should die of a disease that is entirely preventable. Yet, cholera claims thousands of lives every year. This research identifies opportunities and provides recommendations to fast-track cholera prevention and control through clean water, sanitation and hygiene. 

Already eliminated in many parts of the world, cholera still occurs in places without clean water and proper sanitation. Countries with limited access to these essentials often face significant challenges in preventing, controlling and overcoming outbreaks of the disease. In 2022 and 2023, for example, thousands of people in Malawi and Mozambique were affected by cholera outbreaks – and many lost their lives.

Cholera is a diarrhoeal illness caused by eating or drinking contaminated food and water. It’s an extremely dangerous disease, causing severe dehydration, diarrhoea and vomiting, which can kill within hours if left untreated.  

Cholera also disproportionately affects people living in poverty, in areas of conflict or on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

Extreme weather events such as droughts force people to rely on unsafe alternatives for their daily water needs, such as shallow wells, putting them at greater risk of infectious diseases.

On the flipside, tropical storms, heavy rains and flooding can destroy water and sanitation infrastructure, causing untreated sewage to spill into clean water sources. And when water sources are contaminated, cholera can spread fast. 

Change starts with clean water  

Clean water, sanitation and hygiene can prevent the spread of cholera and save thousands of lives every year. By targeting the routes through which it spreads, we can make cholera a thing of the past for everyone, everywhere.

Universal access to these essentials also means that people can better withstand the impacts of climate change, recover from disasters, protect their health and maintain their livelihoods.

World leaders have the power to provide these essentials, and create a healthier, more equal and climate-resilient world. 

About this research  

This research, conducted from April to June 2024, uses our tactical Political Economy Analysis (PEA) tool to provide a comprehensive picture of the current global cholera crisis, the driving factors, and the opportunities for unlocking change. The analysis identifies ways to fast-track cholera prevention and control efforts through clean water, sanitation and hygiene. It presents a summary of how we address these issues through our programmes and as an active member of the Global Task Force for Cholera Control (GTFCC). 

Top image: Chifuniro, 19, lost her grandmother to cholera in Malawi's deadliest cholera outbreak. Here, she washes her son, Ernest, 2, in Malawi.