Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease and, in extreme cases, infection can result in death if left untreated(Image: Getty)
A warning has been issued after 13 cases of potentially lethal disease which is ‘fatal within hours’ were detected in people returning to the UK from four destinations. The UK Health Security Agency has released data about the number of people in the UK who picked up nasty infections abroad in 2025.
The figures show 13 travel-associated Cholera cases and an additional case in an individual who consumed water from an endemic country were reported in 2025 – a 56 per cent increase. Cholera is an acute, severe diarrhoeal infection caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It causes rapid, severe dehydration and vomiting, which can be fatal within hours if untreated, though many cases are mild. It thrives in areas with inadequate sanitation.
Vibrio cholerae bacteria spread through the faecal-oral route, usually via contaminated water supplies, ice, or food. It is not typically spread directly from person to person. Symptoms can start within a few hours to 5 days after exposure. They include sudden onset of severe, painless, watery diarrhoea, vomiting, and rapid dehydration.
The UKHSA said that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland there were 14 confirmed cholera cases reported in 2025, which represents a 56% increase to 2024 where 9 cases were reported. The UKHSA report said: “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.”
It said: “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 occurs mainly in Africa and Asia, but sporadic cases have also been reported in other regions, UKHSA said. In 2022, the World Health Organization reported a global increase of cholera notifications, with more cases reported from an increasing number of countries. In 2024, 39 countries reported outbreaks and 21 reported travel-associated cases only . In 2025, cases were reported in 33 countries across 5 WHO regions, with the highest number of cases in the Eastern Mediterranean, followed by Africa, South-East Asia, the Americas and the Western Pacific .
Cholera UK cases came from people who had been in
Cholera is endemic in Pakistan and parts of India the UKHSA said, where 19,017 and 2,267 cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea were reported in 2025 respectively (15). Cholera is also endemic in Ethiopia, where an outbreak has been ongoing since 2022 with over 58,000 cases as of early 2025 and 8,503 cases of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea reported in 2025
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