Dissemination of public health information during the global cholera outbreak response: WHO's experience

Since 2022, the seventh cholera pandemic has escalated globally, with reported cases rising from 223 370 in 2021 to 560 823 in 2024 across affected countries. Cholera-related deaths also increased significantly, reaching 6028 in 2024. These figures likely underestimate cholera's true burden due to surveillance and reporting challenges. In response, the WHO classified the resurgence as a Grade 3 emergency in January 2023, activating its Incident Management System for a global response. To provide updates on cholera trends, public health responses and challenges, the WHO published 33 Rapid Risk Assessments and 17 Disease Outbreak News reports (2021-2023), followed by 30 editions of a monthly multi-country cholera outbreak external situation report starting in March 2023. The reports were published on various web pages, including the WHO Health Emergencies Programme page, which had 3 million visits in 2 years, showing the global demand for timely epidemiological insights. In June 2024, a survey was conducted to assess the impact and usefulness of the report, and it demonstrated that WHO's cholera situation report was mainly used for public health planning and decision-making in public health (44%), general information (24%), research (15%), advocacy or campaign activities (13%) and media reporting (5%). The situation report was overall rated as very useful by 70% of survey participants. Complementary tools, like WHO's Global Cholera and Acute Watery Diarrhoea Dashboard, have further improved situational awareness. This article assesses the development, execution and impact of WHO's cholera situation report. Finally, we present recommendations for strengthening surveillance systems, improving data sharing and fostering collaboration to enhance the global response to the ongoing cholera emergency.