A global health crisis has been unfolding in recent years, with cholera outbreaks claiming thousands of lives across 32 countries. The disease, which can be prevented through safe water and sanitation, is on the rise due to conflict, poverty, and inequality. Despite being a preventable disease, cholera persists as leaders fail to act with urgency.
The global response to cholera has been hampered by inadequate funding for vaccines. Only one manufacturer, EUBiologics in South Korea, produces cholera vaccines at the scale needed for mass vaccination campaigns. As a result, a global vaccine stockpile is being depleted rapidly, with over 49 million doses distributed so far this year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners have established a continental cholera emergency response plan, which aims to provide rapid access to vaccines in emergencies. However, the stockpile is regularly below the recommended threshold of having 5 million doses ready to respond to outbreaks at any time.
To stretch supplies further, the WHO suspended the standard two-dose vaccination regimen in favor of a single dose. While this has provided temporary relief, demand shows no signs of abating, and supply must increase.
Efforts to expand vaccine production in Africa are underway, with Zambia signing a memorandum of understanding with China's Jijia Medical Technology Company to establish a cholera vaccine-production facility. However, rigorous quality assurance and clinical trials will be required before any locally manufactured doses can be approved by the WHO and deployed in mass vaccination campaigns.
Ultimately, stopping cholera is not a scientific or medical challenge but a political one. Poverty, inequality, conflict, and displacement persist, and addressing these underlying issues is crucial to preventing and responding to outbreaks of this disease.
Hakainde Hichilema, president of Zambia, and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, highlight the urgent need for governments to invest in safe drinking water and sanitation. By addressing these fundamental issues, we can prevent cholera outbreaks and bring this historical disease to an end.
The question remains: why have leaders failed to act with the urgency and commitment needed to consign cholera to history? What steps will be taken to address the root causes of poverty, inequality, and conflict that fuel the spread of this disease? The time for action is now.
The global response to cholera has been hampered by inadequate funding for vaccines. Only one manufacturer, EUBiologics in South Korea, produces cholera vaccines at the scale needed for mass vaccination campaigns. As a result, a global vaccine stockpile is being depleted rapidly, with over 49 million doses distributed so far this year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners have established a continental cholera emergency response plan, which aims to provide rapid access to vaccines in emergencies. However, the stockpile is regularly below the recommended threshold of having 5 million doses ready to respond to outbreaks at any time.
To stretch supplies further, the WHO suspended the standard two-dose vaccination regimen in favor of a single dose. While this has provided temporary relief, demand shows no signs of abating, and supply must increase.
Efforts to expand vaccine production in Africa are underway, with Zambia signing a memorandum of understanding with China's Jijia Medical Technology Company to establish a cholera vaccine-production facility. However, rigorous quality assurance and clinical trials will be required before any locally manufactured doses can be approved by the WHO and deployed in mass vaccination campaigns.
Ultimately, stopping cholera is not a scientific or medical challenge but a political one. Poverty, inequality, conflict, and displacement persist, and addressing these underlying issues is crucial to preventing and responding to outbreaks of this disease.
Hakainde Hichilema, president of Zambia, and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, highlight the urgent need for governments to invest in safe drinking water and sanitation. By addressing these fundamental issues, we can prevent cholera outbreaks and bring this historical disease to an end.
The question remains: why have leaders failed to act with the urgency and commitment needed to consign cholera to history? What steps will be taken to address the root causes of poverty, inequality, and conflict that fuel the spread of this disease? The time for action is now.
, why can't governments prioritize healthcare over politics?! Cholera outbreaks are literally killing thousands of people every year, and yet no one's doing enough to stop it! 
We need more funding for vaccines, stat! 
It's not rocket science, folks - safe water and sanitation are the key to preventing cholera. But until we address those underlying issues, we'll just keep seeing outbreaks pop up everywhere. Africa is like, totally behind on vaccine production too... Zambia's partnership with China's Jijia Medical Technology Company might be a good start, but let's see some actual results! 
And what's up with the WHO's stockpile being depleted so fast?! We need a global response that's more than just "oh no, we forgot to budget for vaccines". 
Come on, leaders - it's time to step up and make cholera a thing of the past! 
Like, who wouldn't want to live in a world where safe water and sanitation are accessible to everyone? Its not just about the vaccines, its about creating systems that prevent outbreaks from happening in the first place. And I love that Zambia is teaming up with China to set up a vaccine-production facility - that's like, super cool tech 
Plus, its great to see leaders like Hakainde Hichilema and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaking out about the importance of addressing poverty, inequality, and conflict. We need more people in positions of power to prioritize these issues 
And honestly, even though the stockpile is running low, I think its a good sign that the WHO is getting creative with solutions - like switching to single-dose vaccines! Its not perfect, but its progress, you know?
. I mean, how hard can it be to provide safe water and sanitation to people in need? It's not like it's rocket science or anything 
. And yet, here we are with cholera outbreaks spreading like wildfire across 32 countries.
Cholera is so preventable with clean water & sanitation, but it's still killing thousands worldwide 
. We need more vaccine doses ASAP! 
. I wish more governments would invest in safe drinking water & sanitation like Zambia and WHO are saying 
. It's not just a medical issue, it's a political one 
. We need leaders to take action NOW 
!
. Cholera outbreaks are on the rise and it's not like a new pandemic thing... we should've learned from history by now. The fact that there's only one manufacturer producing vaccines at the scale needed is just crazy 
. It's all about politics, right? Leaders need to step up their game and invest in safe drinking water and sanitation 
! But seriously, 49 million doses already gone and the stockpile's running dry? That's some serious party foul 
. Talk about a vaccine party trick – but not in a good way 
!
!
how can a disease that's been around for thousands of years still be killing people today? it's all about the water and sanitation, right? if we can get access to safe drinking water and proper toilets, we can prevent cholera. but its not just about providing those basic necessities, its about addressing the underlying issues like poverty and inequality 
. We need real action on poverty and inequality if we wanna stop this from spreading like wildfire 
. And what's up with all these vaccine stockpiles? Like, 5 million doses should be enough, right? 
But no, it's always too little, too late. Can't governments just get their priorities straight and make safe drinking water a basic human right already?! 
. But until we acknowledge the root causes of this problem – poverty, inequality, conflict – it's just going to keep coming back 
. I'm all for action, but where's the plan?
not just throw vaccine doses at it, we need systemic change 
... and don't even get me started on the WHO's emergency response plan – it sounds like a bunch of smoke and mirrors to me 
... I mean, why are we relying on just one manufacturer for vaccines when we know there are plenty of other options out there? 