The World Health Organization announced the outbreak of cholera in at least 31 countries this year, putting around one billion people at risk of the disease worldwide, urging the international community to raise $160 million to combat it.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, said in a speech before representatives of diplomatic missions in Geneva, "We should have defeated this disease a long time ago, but it is actually on the rise."

Ghebreyesus also added, "The number of reports of cholera in 2022 doubled compared to 2021, and this year will be the worst," noting that at least 31 countries are experiencing a cholera outbreak in 2023.

He warned that the rainy season significantly increases the risk of the disease spreading and re-emerging in countries that have eliminated cholera many years ago.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization also alerted that there is a significant shortage of vital supplies, including the oral cholera vaccine.

According to a report from the World Health Organization released in early October, the number of cholera cases has surpassed 582,000 since the beginning of the year, with more than 4,500 deaths due to the disease.