Global cholera vaccination moves beyond outbreak response
Rising global vaccine supply allows resumption of preventive campaigns after a three-year pause KARACHI: Global efforts to prevent cholera have entered a new phase as international health agencies approved the resumption of preventive oral cholera vaccination campaigns after a pause of more than three years, with Mozambique becoming the first country to restart the programme after receiving 3.6 million doses of the vaccine. According to a joint announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and UNICEF, annual global production of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) has nearly doubled — from 35 million doses in 2022 to almost 70 million doses in 2025 — easing shortages that had forced health authorities worldwide to largely restrict vaccination to outbreak response. The vaccines are financed by Gavi and procured and delivered by UNICEF through the global stockpile. A first allocation of 20 million doses has been approved for preventive campaigns in three...