GENEVA, December 8. /TASS/. The number of people who contracted cholera between January 1 and November 15 worldwide has exceeded 610,000, the World Health Organization said, adding that the risk of the disease spreading was "very high."

"Preliminary 2023 data from Member States indicate that the number of cases reported this year as of 15 November has surpassed that of 2022, with over 610 000 cases and 3500 deaths, corresponding to a case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.6%," the organization said.

The number of cases grew by almost 7,000 in one month.

According to the organization, 472,697 cholera cases were registered worldwide in 2022, and 223,370 - in 2021.

A total of 29 countries reported cholera outbreaks since the start of the year, with the highest case count registered in Afghanistan (almost 204,000 cases), followed by Syria (over 161,000 cases) and Haiti (over 71,000 cases).

"Given the extensive number of outbreaks, their widespread distribution, and the current shortage of vaccines and other resources, WHO continues to assess the risk at the global level as very high," the WHO said.