Wellcome responds to WHO resuming preventive cholera vaccination
The World Heath Organization, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF have announced that preventative cholera vaccination campaigns are resuming for the first time in three years in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bangladesh, as the global supply of cholera vaccines has increased to a sufficient level.
2-minute read
2-minute read
Pierre Balard, Research Lead in Wellcome’s Infectious Disease team, said:
"For too long the world has faced persistent cholera vaccine shortages, leaving countries unable to protect those most at risk. The restart of preventive vaccination in countries affected is a promising step forward. We must ensure the vaccines are reaching the people who need them most, and are being used in the right way. To maximise impact, we need stronger evidence on how best to use the supply for reactive and preventive use in all age groups.
“Communities still face major barriers to access. Building regional manufacturing capacity across Africa is essential. For example, the technology transfer to Biovac, which could lead to the first end-to-end OCV manufactured on the continent.”
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