The International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision has issued a concerning call to action in response to a significant increase in cholera cases globally. With over 700,000 cases reported in 2023, the ICG emphasizes the urgent need to address this alarming trend.
Key actions recommended by the ICG include investing in access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, as well as enhancing testing and detection of outbreaks, improving access to healthcare, and expediting the production of affordable oral cholera vaccine (OCV) doses. The ICG manages the global cholera vaccine stockpile and consists of organizations such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Médecins Sans Frontières, UNICEF, and WHO.
Cholera cases have been on the rise since 2021, with the number of reported cases in 2022 more than doubling those in 2021. The increase is attributed to ongoing gaps in access to safe water and sanitation, along with factors like climate change, conflict, and population displacement.
Countries most severely affected by this crisis include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The shortage of vaccine doses in comparison to current needs is straining the global stockpile, with only one manufacturer currently producing the vaccine.
In light of these challenges, the ICG has recommended a return to a two-dose vaccine regimen for longer protection, as the global production capacity in 2024 is projected to be insufficient to meet the demands of those impacted by cholera. The ICG urges vaccine manufacturers, governments, donors, and partners to prioritize the urgent scale-up of vaccine production and collaborative efforts to prevent and control cholera outbreaks.
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