Save the Children International Organisation has warned of a high likelihood of the resurgence of several deadly childhood diseases, including cholera, in 2026. This is attributed to international aid cuts, ongoing conflicts, and the climate crisis, which have affected many low- and middle-income countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Humanitarian health funding has fallen drastically, placing immense pressure on health systems and limiting their ability to deliver essential services to children.
There was a reported increase in cholera mortality in 2025 compared to previous years due to limited access to safe water and primary healthcare services. South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo were among the most affected countries due to prolonged conflict and cuts to humanitarian aid. Other diseases, such as malaria, measles, and tuberculosis, are also predicted to rise in 2026. Consequently, the organisation is calling for urgent global action to address the crisis.
These “deadly five” cholera, measles, malaria, tuberculosis, and diarrhoea, are largely preventable and treatable infectious diseases. However, they continue to cause disproportionately high mortality rates among children and vulnerable populations in low-income regions affected by conflict, harsh climate conditions, and poor sanitation. This resurgence threatens to reverse decades of global health gains.
The main causes of death among children vary by age. Children under five are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases such as malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea, HIV, and tuberculosis. Among older children, non-communicable diseases, injuries, and conflict-related factors pose significant threats.
These common infectious diseases continue to kill children in large numbers despite being preventable and treatable. In 2019, malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea were responsible for approximately 30% of global deaths among children under the age of five, with Sub-Saharan Africa being the most affected region.
According to reports from UNICEF and WHO, Diarrhoea remains one of the leading causes of child mortality, killing about 480,000 children under the age of five annually. It is caused by consuming contaminated food or water, leading to severe dehydration and malnutrition. Although often overlooked, it remains a major killer of young children. Many cases can be prevented through improved hygiene and sanitation. However, rising climate-related disasters, water insecurity, and increasing temperatures are expected to drive cases higher in 2026.
Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted through mosquito bites. It remains a major killer, with about 94% of deaths occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa. Children under five account for approximately 75% of all malaria fatalities. WHO warns that converging threats, including drug resistance, funding cuts, extreme weather, and humanitarian crises, could lead to a rise in cases. These crises often destroy water and sanitation facilities and create breeding grounds for mosquitoes. This reflects stalled progress in the fight against malaria in recent years.
Although vaccines play an important role in malaria prevention, cases have continued to rise over the past decade. An estimated 282 million new malaria cases were recorded in 2024, with around 610,000 deaths, up from 263 million cases and 597,000 deaths in 2023.
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that can be prevented through vaccination. Cases rose sharply in 2024 and 2025 due to disruptions in immunisation programmes, reaching levels four times higher than in previous years. Immunisation progress has stagnated, with the WHO warning that funding cuts to surveillance and national immunisation programmes could trigger even more outbreaks in 2026.
Tuberculosis is one of the world’s leading infectious disease killers. It affects people of all ages, but children under five are particularly vulnerable, especially in low-income countries and overcrowded settings. Cuts to international TB funding follow years of stagnating financial support since 2020. Experts warn that an additional 8.9 million children under 14 could fall ill with TB and 1.5 million could die between now and 2034 in Africa and Southeast Asia due to these funding shortfalls.
Cholera is a diarrhoeal infection caused by contaminated water and food. It can kill within hours if left untreated, making rapid access to oral rehydration solutions (ORS) critical. Cholera resurged in 2025, particularly in areas with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water.
Despite decades of progress against childhood killers, 2026 is witnessing a worrying reversal, with once-controlled diseases returning and threatening young lives, especially children under five. Declining immunisation coverage, driven by vaccine hesitancy, funding cuts, and disruptions to routine health services, has allowed measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases to spread widely. At the same time, outbreaks of cholera and malaria are intensifying in fragile and conflict-affected regions where weakened health systems struggle to cope. Without urgent reinvestment in immunisation, water and sanitation, and primary healthcare, experts warn that preventable child deaths could rise again, reversing years of hard-won progress in global child survival.
