Mass cholera vaccination to be carried out in Southern Africa, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) said on Friday in its communique.
“Summit endorsed the following recommendations […] urging Member States to jointly plan and implement synchronised cross border vaccination campaigns against Cholera, if necessary, and mobilise vaccines for affected and non-affected countries at risk […],” the document said.
The communiqué was published following the SADC Extra-Ordinary Summit on February 2, led by Angola.
In addition to vaccination, the document also outlined other steps to combat the dangerous disease.
Thus, the organization is also devoted to “increase investment in the current cholera emergency response” and “accelerate local and regional manufacturing of cholera vaccines.” Aside from that, the member states will strengthen regional collaboration as well as formulate and execute comprehensive cholera response strategies that address the impact of natural disasters and climatic factors on cholera re-emergence.
Several steps in the plan are dedicated to the WASH program — climate-resilient Water, Sanitation and Hygiene plan.
The bloc plans to develop and implement the WASH program along with Disaster Risk Reduction program to stop future cholera outbreaks. The funding for WASH infrastructure will also be increased, and effective waste management systems and a sustainable provision of clean water will be established.
Lastly, SADC countries are called upon to strengthen accountability mechanisms for monitoring WASH interventions and provide annual reports from local governments on their WASH performance.
Cholera is a severe diarrheal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The disease can lead to intense and rapid watery diarrhea, and if not treated promptly, the severe forms of the illness can be fatal within a matter of hours.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa has seen a marked increase in cholera incidence since 2011.
The affected countries, however, are trying to take all necessary measures to combat the infection. Zimbabwe, for example, is preparing to begin the Oral Cholera Vaccination, which aims to reach over 800,000 individuals in high-risk areas across the country to combat a surge in cholera cases.
Zambia also received 1.4 million oral cholera vaccines out of the 1.7 million doses already approved by the WHO, the country's Health Minister, Sylvia Masebo, said in mid-January.
Last month, Mozambique's authorities launched the vaccination of 2.2 million residents against the disease as well.