Cholera cases have been confirmed in Britain and Germany, which is associated with sacred water consumed at a popular pilgrimage site in Ethiopia.
Health officials in Germany and the United Kingdom have reported at least seven confirmed cases of cholera between January and the end of February 2025. Infections were traced back from a well from a well at the Barmel Georgis pilgrimage site in Ethiopia. Three cases included individuals who recently traveled to the site, while the other four were infected in Europe, who were brought back from the area after consuming holy water.
Despite the ongoing conflicts with Ethiopia’s access to clean and safe drinking water, many local and international pilgrims continue to drink holy water from sites such as Barmel Georgis, which is widely considered about the healing properties.
According to NDTV and Scientific Journal Eurosurvillance, Robert Coach Institute (RKI) in Berlin and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in London confirmed that all the infected people were carrying a multi-drug-resistant tension of Vibrio Koja O1, which has recently been associated with the Kolara palace in Central Africa.
The Eurosurvillance reported that three patients in the UK were hospitalized with serious symptoms, including water diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. A patient required intensive care with intravenous fluid replacement. Fortunately, all patients have been completely cured.
Ethiopia, with a population of over 122 million, continues to face major challenges in providing safe drinking water – obviously there is a lack of access to half of the population. It leaves weak for waterborne diseases like millions of cholera.
The last major cholera outbreak in Ethiopia occurred in 2022, affecting nearly 60,000 people and claiming the lives of 726, according to the University of Oxford.
Cholera is typically transmitted through contaminated food or water, especially in areas with poor sanitation. Symptoms, including watery diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting, can appear within 12 hours to five days after exposure. The disease causes rapid dehydration, which can lead to circulatory collapse and death if not treated promptly. Vulnerable individuals, especially children and the elderly, can die within hours of symptom onset.
