World Produces Not Enough Vaccines to Fight 'Unprecedented Upsurge' in Cholera Cases, WHO Says
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The World Health Organization's (WHO) International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision has called for "an urgent effort" to step up production of cholera vaccines as the global production capacity is insufficient to combat "an unprecedented multi-year upsurge" in cholera cases worldwide.
"In October 2022, the ongoing vaccine shortage necessitated the ICG to recommend a single vaccine dose, down from a previous, long-standing two-dose regimen. Approximately 36 million doses were produced last year, while 14 affected countries registered a need for 72 million doses for a one-dose reactive strategy. These requests understate the true need. Preventive vaccination campaigns have had to be delayed to preserve doses for emergency outbreak control efforts, creating a vicious cycle," the organization said on the website.
The statement added that the global production capacity of cholera vaccines in 2024 is forecast to be 37-50 million doses "but will likely continue to be inadequate to serve the needs of millions of people directly affected by cholera" since there is only one manufacturer, EuBiologics, that produces the vaccine.
"While the company is doing its utmost to maximize output, more doses are needed. Currently, new manufacturers are not expected to join the market before 2025; they must be fast-tracked. The same urgency and innovation that we saw for COVID-19 must be applied to cholera. Additional manufacturers planning to enter the market need to accelerate their efforts and make doses available at affordable prices," the organization said.
The organization added that "cholera has been surging globally since 2021," and a total of 473,000 cases were reported to WHO in 2022 - a twofold increase in reported cases compared to 2021. The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are the most severely impacted countries by cholera at the moment, WHO said.
"Preliminary data for 2023 reveal further increases, with over 700 000 cases reported. Several of the outbreaks have high case fatality rates, exceeding the 1% threshold used as an indicator for early and adequate treatment of cholera patients. These trends are tragic given that cholera is a preventable and treatable disease and that cases had been declining in previous years," the organization added.
Cholera is a highly contagious infection that spreads through contaminated food and water. The infection can cause acute watery diarrhea and can be fatal in just a few hours in severe cases if it is not treated.
