Manila, Sept. 14 -- Global cholera cases and deaths continued to rise in 2024, with fatalities climbing sharply for the second consecutive year, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported.

The UN health agency's latest data showed cholera cases increased by 5 percent and deaths jumped by 50 percent compared to 2023.

More than 6,000 people died from the preventable and treatable disease last year.

"Conflict, climate change, population displacement, and long-term deficiencies in water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure continue to fuel the rise of cholera, a disease caused by the bacterium, Vibrio cholerae, which spreads rapidly through faeces-contaminated water," the report highlighted.

Sixty countries recorded cases in 2024, up...