Cholera due to exposure in Europe associated with consumption of holy water from Ethiopia, January to February 2025

Christina Frank; Claire Jenkins; Jana Marie Weis; Anja Brilmayer; Anja Schoeps; Susann Dupke; Hendrik Wilking; Parisha Katwa; Satheesh Nair; Clare Barker; Derren Ready; Gauri Godbole; Susan Hopkins; Hilary Kirkbride

doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.14.2500234

Cholera due to exposure in Europe associated with consumption of holy water from Ethiopia, January to February 2025

Christina Frank, Claire Jenkins^*, Jana Marie Weis, Anja Brilmayer, Anja Schoeps, Susann Dupke, Hendrik Wilking, Parisha Katwa, Satheesh Nair, Clare Barker, Derren Ready, Gauri Godbole, Susan Hopkins, Hilary Kirkbride

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

In February 2025, public health agencies in Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) reported four cases of domestically acquired cholera caused by consumption of holy water imported from Ethiopia, and a further three cases in travellers to Ethiopia. Multidrugresistant Vibrio cholerae O1, linked to recent outbreaks in Eastern and Middle Africa, was detected in clinical specimens and the holy water. In cholera-endemic regions, visitors should drink potable water and should not bring bottled water back from their travels. In February 2025, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in London identified seven patients infected with the same multidrug-resistant (MDR) strain of Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1. At least four of the seven cases became infected in Europe. We aimed to review the epidemiology, identify the source and most likely route of transmission and provide recommendations to prevent further infections.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-4
Number of pages	4
Journal	Eurosurveillance
Volume	30
Issue number	14
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.14.2500234
Publication status	Published - 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). All rights reserved.

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10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.14.2500234

Cite this

Frank, C., Jenkins, C., Weis, J. M., Brilmayer, A., Schoeps, A., Dupke, S., Wilking, H., Katwa, P., Nair, S., Barker, C., Ready, D., Godbole, G., Hopkins, S., & Kirkbride, H. (2025). Cholera due to exposure in Europe associated with consumption of holy water from Ethiopia, January to February 2025. Eurosurveillance, 30(14), 1-4. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.14.2500234

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abstract = "In February 2025, public health agencies in Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) reported four cases of domestically acquired cholera caused by consumption of holy water imported from Ethiopia, and a further three cases in travellers to Ethiopia. Multidrugresistant Vibrio cholerae O1, linked to recent outbreaks in Eastern and Middle Africa, was detected in clinical specimens and the holy water. In cholera-endemic regions, visitors should drink potable water and should not bring bottled water back from their travels. In February 2025, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in London identified seven patients infected with the same multidrug-resistant (MDR) strain of Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1. At least four of the seven cases became infected in Europe. We aimed to review the epidemiology, identify the source and most likely route of transmission and provide recommendations to prevent further infections.",

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Frank, C, Jenkins, C, Weis, JM, Brilmayer, A, Schoeps, A, Dupke, S, Wilking, H, Katwa, P, Nair, S, Barker, C, Ready, D , Godbole, G , Hopkins, S & Kirkbride, H 2025, 'Cholera due to exposure in Europe associated with consumption of holy water from Ethiopia, January to February 2025', Eurosurveillance, vol. 30, no. 14, pp. 1-4. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2025.30.14.2500234

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AU - Frank, Christina

AU - Jenkins, Claire

AU - Weis, Jana Marie

AU - Brilmayer, Anja

AU - Schoeps, Anja

AU - Dupke, Susann

AU - Wilking, Hendrik

AU - Katwa, Parisha

AU - Nair, Satheesh

AU - Barker, Clare

AU - Ready, Derren

AU - Godbole, Gauri

AU - Hopkins, Susan

AU - Kirkbride, Hilary

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AB - In February 2025, public health agencies in Germany and the United Kingdom (UK) reported four cases of domestically acquired cholera caused by consumption of holy water imported from Ethiopia, and a further three cases in travellers to Ethiopia. Multidrugresistant Vibrio cholerae O1, linked to recent outbreaks in Eastern and Middle Africa, was detected in clinical specimens and the holy water. In cholera-endemic regions, visitors should drink potable water and should not bring bottled water back from their travels. In February 2025, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in Berlin and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in London identified seven patients infected with the same multidrug-resistant (MDR) strain of Vibrio cholerae serogroup O1. At least four of the seven cases became infected in Europe. We aimed to review the epidemiology, identify the source and most likely route of transmission and provide recommendations to prevent further infections.

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Cholera due to exposure in Europe associated with consumption of holy water from Ethiopia, January to February 2025

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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