10th February, 2023
By Franca Ofili
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced the outbreak of cholera in 23 countries, warning that 20 more countries sharing land borders with the affected countries are at risk.
Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, stated this during the bloc’s online media conference.
According to Ghebreyesus, a total of more than one billion people globally were at risk of cholera.
“Cholera spreads through contaminated water, so clean water is urgently needed wherever there is an acute outbreak to prevent transmission,” he said.
Also, WHO strongly recommends countries at risk of cholera outbreaks scale up surveillance, so cases can be identified and managed as quickly as possible.
Although there were efficient cholera vaccinations, the supply was extremely restricted, according to the WHO director.
According to Ghebreyesus, in 2022, the International Coordinating Group that manages the global cholera vaccine stockpile will discontinue the normal two-dose protocol in favor of a single-dose method to extend supply.
He did, however, emphasize the importance of increasing global vaccine production in the medium- to long-term.
“In the meantime, we must rely on other measures to stop outbreaks and save lives,” he said.
NAN