Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease and, in extreme cases, infection can result in death if left untreated(Image: Getty Images)
Health officials have issued an alert following the detection of 13 cases of a potentially deadly disease that can prove 'fatal within hours' among travellers returning to the UK from four locations. The UK Health Security Agency has published statistics regarding the number of individuals in the UK who contracted serious infections while abroad in 2025.
The data reveals 13 travel-related Cholera cases, plus one additional case in someone who drank water from an endemic nation, were recorded in 2025 – representing a 56 per cent rise. Cholera is an acute, severe diarrhoeal illness triggered by consuming food or water tainted with the Vibrio cholerae bacterium. It leads to rapid, severe dehydration and vomiting, which can prove fatal within hours without treatment, although numerous cases present as mild. The disease flourishes in regions with poor sanitation.
The Vibrio cholerae bacterium transmits via the faecal-oral route, typically through contaminated water sources, ice, or food products. Person-to-person transmission is uncommon. Symptoms may emerge anywhere from a few hours to five days following exposure.
These include abrupt onset of severe, painless, watery diarrhoea, vomiting, and swift dehydration. The UKHSA revealed that across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, 14 confirmed cholera cases were recorded in 2025, marking a 56% rise compared to the 9 cases documented in 2024. According to the UKHSA report: "Thirteen cases were travel-associated and one became ill after consuming water from an endemic country; the main travel destinations reported among cases were Pakistan and India
"13 travel-associated cholera cases and an additional case in an individual who consumed water from an endemic country were reported in 2025. The main travel destination for cases were Pakistan, India and Ethiopia. This compares to nine cholera cases in 2024."
The report explained: "Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with toxigenic strains of V. cholerae. Symptoms include acute, profuse watery diarrhoea 'rice water stools' and vomiting, and can lead rapidly to severe dehydration. In extreme cases infection can result in death if left untreated. A vaccine is available but is only recommended for some travellers."
The disease primarily affects Africa and Asia, though isolated cases have emerged in other parts of the world, according to UKHSA. The World Health Organization documented a worldwide surge in cholera notifications in 2022, with rising numbers of affected countries reporting cases.
During 2024, 39 nations reported outbreaks while 21 documented travel-related cases exclusively. By 2025, cases had been confirmed in 33 countries spanning 5 WHO regions, with the Eastern Mediterranean recording the highest figures, followed by Africa, South-East Asia, the Americas and the Western Pacific.
Cholera UK cases came from people who had been in
UKHSA confirmed that cholera remains endemic in Pakistan and certain areas of India, where 19,017 and 2,267 cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea were documented in 2025 respectively.
The disease is also endemic in Ethiopia, which has been battling an ongoing outbreak since 2022, recording over 58,000 cases by early 2025, with 8,503 cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea reported in 2025.
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