Paris: A resurgence of cholera across Africa has driven an urgent need for more vaccine doses, but stock shortages have hampered the fight against the increasing outbreaks of the deadly disease. But pressure on the supply of doses is now decreasing, said Aurelia Nguyen, chief programme officer of the Gavi vaccine alliance that raises funds to supply vaccines to developing countries. Ahead of a summit in Paris on Thursday aimed at ramping up vaccine production in Africa, Nguyen told AFP about the current state of play.
Nguyen: "Cholera outbreaks are becoming more and more frequent, more and more widespread, and are occurring more often in countries that had previously been spared." "For years, demand for cholera vaccines had been relatively low. From two million in 2013, the supply of doses exploded to 38 million in 2023.
Given the current context, the response to these outbreaks follows the World Health Organization's recommendation to administer a single dose, instead of the usual two." "Due to the number of currently ongoing cholera outbreaks, our supply of vaccines was under pressure at the start of the year. But the pressure is now decreasing and we are once again in a position to immediately respond to new requests.
" "The South Korean biopharmaceutical company EuBiologics, the only supplier of oral cholera vaccines, will increase its production by 30 percent this year and next. This increase was made possible in particular by Gavi's purchases over several years." "Gavi t.
