Three child-killer diseases – dengue, cholera, and mpox - witnessed major resurgences in 2024 fuelled partly by climate crises and conflict, with these illnesses likely to cause significant strains on communities in 2025 without more focused global attention, said Save the Children. 

More than 13,600 people, including children, are suspected or confirmed to have died from these three diseases this year, with cases of dengue and mpox reaching record highs. While there was a slight global decline in cases of cholera, , the number of fatal cases of the virus jumped 126% from 2023.   

It was a horror year for dengue fever in 2024, with cases of the mosquito-borne virus reaching the highest number on record at 13.3 million  – more than double the 6.5 million cases in 2023 which was itself a record high [1]. Increased urbanisation and changes in climate and temperatures have fuelled the mosquitoes that spread the virus.  The World Health Organization estimates that 4 billion people are currently at risk of dengue and related viruses and this will rise to 5 billion by 2050.

There were nearly half a million cases of cholera this year, with 3,432 deaths recorded by the end of September, when most recent data was available [2]. While the number of cases in 2024 is 16% lower than last year, there has been a 126% spike in deaths, according to the WHO. The increase in mortality is likely due to the location of the outbreaks in conflict-affected areas where access to healthcare is severely compromised, and regions experiencing flooding that has damaged critical infrastructure.