Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the global cholera situation continues to deteriorate, indicating that more than 390,000 cases and 4,332 deaths from the disease have been reported in 31 countries this year.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Catherine Alberti, WHO's technical officer for cholera control, noted that these figures are underestimates. In a press briefing in Geneva, she highlighted WHO's concerns about cholera and its spread in several countries.

Alberti explained that the International Coordination Group (for vaccine coordination) has received requests from 12 countries since last January, which is three times the number compared to the same period last year.

She confirmed that more than 40 million doses have already been allocated this year, compared to 35 million doses allocated last year. Alberti noted that more than 85% of the doses approved this year are allocated to countries facing humanitarian crises, with Sudan coming in first and taking the largest share.