Project Syndicate: A Roadmap to End Cholera
Dominique Legros, Cholera Team lead at the WHO

“…[T]he saddest fact about cholera’s recent toll on human lives is that every single death was preventable. The world already has the knowledge and tools to control cholera effectively, but existing resources are not being aligned with the necessary global commitments. That is why the new global strategy developed by the Global Task Force on Cholera Control … is so vital. Ending Cholera — A Global Roadmap to 2030 emphasizes a shift to proactive approaches, and aims to reduce cholera deaths by 90 percent over the next decade. With full implementation, the plan could also help as many as 20 countries eliminate disease transmission in the same timeframe. … [E]mbracing the strategy is also the right thing to do for the international community. Governments have a moral obligation to ensure that no one succumbs to a preventable death. … We have the tools needed to beat cholera. Now, with a plan in place, there can no longer be any excuse not to put them to use” (10/10).