One billion people in 43 countries are at risk of contracting cholera, the UN warns, noting that while the means to combat “this pandemic of the poor” are known, the resources to apply them are lacking.

“The pandemic is killing the poor before our eyes and we know exactly how to stop it, but we need more support and less inaction from the international community because if we don’t act now, the situation will get worse,” warned Jerome Pfaffmann Zabruni, head of UNICEF Public Health Emergency Services during a press conference in Geneva.

“The World Health Organization estimates that one billion people in 43 countries are at risk of getting cholera,” said his colleague Henry Gray of the World Health Organization, who is responsible for fighting the disease, which spreads in conditions of lack of sanitation and alcohol consumption. water.

Cholera causes diarrhea and vomiting and can be extremely dangerous for young children.

The UN needs $640 million to fight this infectious disease and has said the longer we wait to step up the response, the worse the situation will get.

According to the World Health Organization, vaccination campaigns face major hurdles.

This year, 24 countries reported cholera outbreaks, up from 15 in mid-May 2022.

Countries that normally do not suffer from cholera are now victims of it, and the mortality rate is much higher than the commonly observed 1%.

Henry Gray attributes the increase in cases to poverty, climate change and the resulting population movements.

“As the number of countries affected by cholera increases, the resources available for prevention and treatment are depleted,” he says.

One example is the vaccine: more than 18 million doses were requested this year, but only 8 million were available, forcing the suspension of vaccination campaigns.

The WHO was forced to recommend one dose of the vaccine instead of the required two, resulting in less long-term protection.

“The future is bleak,” warns Henry Grey.

In total, WHO and UNICEF, which are working closely together to fight cholera, need US$160 million and US$480 million, respectively, over the next 12 months to work in more than 40 countries.

Source: APE-MPE, AFP.