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Cholera Outbreak in Pakistan: 8 Dead, Including 6 Children, Amid Water Crisis

A tragic cholera outbreak has claimed eight more lives in Pakistan's southwest. The victims include six children, bringing the death toll to twelve over three weeks. Emergency medical teams have arrived and set up a temporary hospital in a local school. Officials are now testing water samples to find the source of the contamination.

Key Points: Cholera Kills 8 in Pakistan's Balochistan, Death Toll Hits 12

  • Eight people, including six children, died in Balochistan's Musakhel district this week
  • A government school has been converted into a temporary hospital for emergency treatment
  • Health officials are collecting water samples to trace the source of the contamination
  • Pakistan and the WHO aim for a 90% reduction in cholera mortality by 2030
2 min read

Cholera outbreak kills eight in Pakistan

A cholera outbreak in Pakistan's Balochistan province kills 8, including 6 children. Health teams rush to the area as a school becomes a temporary hospital.

"In Pakistan, cholera is a notifiable endemic illness. The majority of cases are detected in heavily populated metropolitan areas with poor access to clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene. - World Health Organization (WHO)"

Islamabad, Dec 13

At least eight people, including six children, have died in a cholera outbreak in Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province this week, raising the death toll to 12 over the past three weeks, local health officials said on Saturday.

The latest deaths were reported from the Cheena Khundi area of Musakhel district, where six children and two adult men lost their lives, District Health Officer Abdul Ghaffar Khetran told Xinhua news agency. He said medical teams from Quetta, Loralai and Barkhan have reached the affected area, while medicines were dispatched on the instructions of the provincial director general of health.

A government school has been converted into a temporary hospital to provide emergency treatment to patients, the official added.

According to health authorities, at least 14 cholera patients are currently undergoing treatment in the affected area.

Health officials have also collected water samples to determine the source of the outbreak.

Earlier this year, Pakistan's Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched the National Cholera Control Plan 2025–2028, targetting a 90 per cent reduction in mortality by 2030 and preparing the country to prevent, detect and respond to cholera outbreaks in a context marked by severe climate change-induced disasters.

Between January 2023 and July 2025, Pakistan reported an annual average of more than 21,000 suspected and 250 confirmed cases of cholera.

According to the WHO, Cholera is an acute infection caused by ingesting the bacteria Vibrio cholerae present in contaminated water or food, resulting in life-threatening diarrhoea that requires urgent medical treatment.

"In Pakistan, cholera is a notifiable endemic illness. The majority of cases are detected in heavily populated metropolitan areas with poor access to clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene," the WHO stated in July this year.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Very sad news. While we have our own public health battles, it's important to see this as a human tragedy. The climate change angle is worrying—extreme weather will make these outbreaks more common in our region too. Solidarity with the affected families.
A
Aman W
Converting a school into a hospital shows the urgency. It's a basic infrastructure failure. 21,000 suspected cases a year is a huge number. Makes you appreciate the Swachh Bharat mission's focus on sanitation, though we still have a long way to go.
S
Sarah B
The article mentions the WHO plan targeting a 90% reduction in mortality. That's an ambitious goal. I hope the coordination between local and national health authorities is effective. Outbreaks like this don't respect borders—it's in everyone's interest to support public health.
V
Vikram M
Tragic. Six children... This is preventable. It highlights the gap between having a national control plan on paper and its implementation on the ground, especially in remote areas like Balochistan. Our own health systems need to be vigilant.
K
Karthik V
A respectful criticism: The article relies heavily on the official statement. It would be helpful to know more about the daily challenges people face in accessing clean water there. Nonetheless, a sobering read. Hope the water sample tests lead to a solution.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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