Cholera Vaccines Return: Global Stockpile Reaches Record High

Global preventive cholera vaccination programs are resuming worldwide after a four-year suspension due to a severe vaccine shortage. The World Health Organization, GAVI, and UNICEF have announced a significant recovery in the global oral cholera vaccine stockpile, which reached nearly 70 million doses last year.

This resurgence allows for the recommencement of preventative campaigns, a crucial shift from the reactive measures necessitated by the 2022 shortage. An initial deployment of 20 million doses is underway, with substantial allocations directed to Mozambique (3.6 million), Congo (6.1 million), and Bangladesh (10.3 million).

Cholera, a diarrheal disease caused by waterborne bacteria, frequently emerges due to poverty, conflict, and climate crises. Mozambique is a priority country following devastating floods that impacted 700,000 people and heightened cholera threat. The WHO noted that while poverty and conflict remain drivers, climate change has exacerbated a global upsurge since 2021.

Last year, over 600,000 cholera cases and nearly 7,600 deaths were reported globally. The one-dose vaccination strategy will remain standard, with two-dose campaigns considered on a case-by-case basis.