The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Friday the approval of a new oral version of an existing cholera vaccine, amid a sharp increase in cases worldwide.
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As the world faces a shortage of cholera vaccine, the easier-to-manufacture vaccine is expected to help increase the number of doses available by producing higher volumes in a shorter time frame.
It is the Euvichol-S vaccine, which is a simplified formulation of Euvichol-Plus, with fewer components. It is cheaper, and can be made more quickly than the old version.
The depletion of the global vaccine stockpile has left poorer countries, including several in Africa, scrambling to contain epidemics.
This bacterial disease is usually spread through contaminated food or water and, if left untreated, can be fatal within hours, even in previously healthy people. WHO says that immediate access to treatment saves lives.
Approval by the WHO means donor agencies like the vaccines' alliance Gavi and UNICEF can now buy it for poorer countries, boosting supplies.
Gavi estimated there could be about 50 million doses for the global stockpile this year, compared with 38 million in 2023. The WHO move "represents a lifeline for vulnerable communities around the world," said Derrick Sim, Gavi's vaccine markets chief.
According to the director of UNICEF’s supply division, Leila Pakkala, said that the agency will be able to boost supplies by more than 25 percent.
Currently, 23 countries are reporting cholera outbreaks. The most severe impacts are being felt in the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Somalia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.