Cholera is a rapidly dehydrating diarrhoeal disease, caused by the toxigenic serogroups O1 and O139 of Vibrio cholerae, that is a gram-negative, curve-shaped rod, mainly waterborne bacterium. The primary mode of transmission is through the ingestion of contaminated food and water.

After an incubation period of a few hours to 5 days, up to 25% may develop symptoms. Approximately 10-20% of those who develop symptoms experience severe disease, characterized by acute, profuse watery diarrhoea (“rice water stools”), usually with vomiting, leading to rapid dehydration. Untreated cholera can lead to severe dehydration, hypovolemic shock, and death within hours.

Between January 1 and November 24, 2024, a total of 733,956 cholera cases and 5,162 fatalities were reported across 33 countries spanning five WHO regions. The incidence of cholera cases and related mortality in November 2024 exhibited 37% and 27% increases, respectively, compared to the same period in 2023.

In Malaysia, cholera remains endemic, with an incidence rate ranging from 0.02 to 0.35 per 100,000 population over the past five years (2020–2024). No recent cholera-related fatalities have been reported, with the last recorded outbreak occurring in Sabah in 2020.