In
Already 2024 is threatening to be another devastating year for cholera in the region as warmer weather and unusually heavy rains and storms have fuelled the disease's spread.
Cholera bacteria are spread by eating or drinking food or water contaminated by the faeces of an infected person. Oral vaccines help contain outbreaks and limit the spread of the disease. But there is a worldwide shortage of the vaccines.
From
The world's oral cholera vaccine stockpile has run dry. Why?
Unlike routinely administered vaccines, such as those for measles, the cholera vaccine is developed on a needs basis: during outbreaks and humanitarian crises, for example.
There's limited funding to purchase cholera vaccines, and as a result there's limited production.
There is only one vaccine recommended for mass vaccination during cholera outbreaks, Euvichol-Plus.
The vaccine is manufactured exclusively by
The company has limited manufacturing capacity. So when there is a spike in the need for the vaccine, demand outstrips production.
So there is usually only a limited stockpile available.
Traditionally we haven't had several countries experiencing outbreaks at the same time like we are currently seeing in southern and eastern
This is one of the main reasons for the current shortage.
A low-cost, simplified version, Euvichol-S, has been approved by the
What is being done about the vaccine shortage in southern
There have been several strategies to fight the outbreak.
Firstly, in
Two doses provide up to two or three years' protection, but one dose is still safe and effective. With one dose we're able to deliver some level of safety up to one year or just a little bit more, hopefully enough time to beat the current outbreaks.
Secondly, countries like
An example of a priority area would be one devastated by droughts or floods with a high transmission rate and no access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
Last year, cholera cases surged in
Is progress being made to develop more cholera vaccines?
In
During the COVID-19 pandemic African countries were forced to the back of the queue for life-saving COVID-19 vaccines. It taught us that we need to have our own local manufacturing capacity.
In the case of cholera we are seeing that we cannot rely on just one manufacturer in
The problem has been recognised and there are steps to rectify it. There has been a lot of investment in expanding the cholera vaccine manufacturing capacity.
Two manufacturers are coming into play globally, one in
Biovac, a biopharmaceutical company based in
It has concluded a ground-breaking licensing and technology transfer agreement with the
The first batch of vaccines will undergo clinical trials from 2024 to 2025, with licensing expected from 2026. This means we won't see locally manufactured cholera vaccines until after 2026.
In
But vaccination is not a replacement for the provision of safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, and good hygiene practices.
Copyright 2024 The Conversation Africa. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source