WHO launches oral vaccination project against cholera

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has unveiled a massive oral vaccination programme aimed at controlling cholera outbreaks in the port city of Beira in central Mozambique. The programme will gauge the efficacy of mass oral vaccination over an 11-month period to determine whether this could be an effective preventative measure. The latest outbreak of cholera has been concentrated in the capital, Maputo, where a death toll of 14 was confirmed by the ministry of health, the WHO's Dr Pierre Kahozi told IRIN on Thursday. He noted, however, that "among the 14 dead, eight were [admitted to] the Maputo cholera treatment centre, and all of them [suffered] other conditions like malnutrition, HIV/AIDS and so on". A WHO statement said the cholera vaccine itself "has been available for 10 years, but this is the first time it has been used so broadly to minimise the devastation of a cholera outbreak. It is also the first time that WHO has considered the use of the oral cholera vaccine as part of an overall strategy to control the disease". "Cholera is mainly contracted through consumption of food or water contaminated with the bacterium, Vibrio cholerae. Epidemics are linked to poor hygiene, overcrowding, inadequate sanitation and unsafe water. Current responses to cholera outbreaks are generally focused on providing care to the sick and providing safe water. While this can prevent many deaths, the lack of strong preventative measures means the disease is still a major public health problem in approximately 50 resource-poor countries," WHO explained. In Beira alone there have been "between 3,880 and 4,880 cases per year over the last three years". The vaccination project is being conducted by WHO in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Médecins sans Frontières (MSF), Epicentre and the International Vaccine Institute, with donor support from the Swedish Biological Laboratory (SBL) and the International Federation of Football Association (FIFA).