Cholera cases increase as WHO prequalifies new oral vaccine

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported an increase in cholera cases, with 473,000 cases recorded in 2022, twice the figure in 2021. In a statement, yesterday, WHO disclosed that an estimated increase of 700,000 cases was projected for 2023, emphasising the urgent need for effective interventions.

In light of these figures, WHO prequalified new oral vaccine for cholera on April 12, 2024. The health body stated that the vaccine, known as Euvichol-S, is an inactivated oral vaccine with similar efficacy to existing options but with a simplified formulation, allowing opportunities to rapidly increase production capacity.
 
Director of the WHO Department for Regulation and Prequalification, Dr. Rogerio Gaspar, said: “The new vaccine is the third product of the same family of vaccines we have for cholera in our WHO prequalification list.

“The new prequalification is hoped to enable a rapid increase in production and supply which many communities battling with cholera outbreaks urgently need.”

The global health body added that the prequalification list already includes Euvichol and Euvichol-Plus inactivated oral cholera vaccines produced by EuBiologicals Co., Ltd, Republic of South Korea, which also produces the new vaccine Euvichol-S.  

It reads further: “Vaccines provide the fastest intervention to prevent, limit and control cholera outbreaks but supplies have been at the lowest point amidst countries facing dire shortcomings in other areas of cholera prevention and management such as safe water, hygiene and sanitation. 

“There were 473,000 cholera cases reported to WHO in 2022 – double of the number from 2021. Further increase of cases by 700,000 was estimated for 2023. Currently, 23 countries are reporting cholera outbreaks with most severe impacts seen in the Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Somalia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.”