"Global Stockpile of Cholera Vaccine Is Gone as Outbreaks Spread"

"One company is going to great lengths to build it up, but it will be years before it returns to the minimum level."

"Doses of cholera vaccine are being given to patients as fast as they are produced and the global stockpile has run completely dry, as deadly outbreaks of the disease continue to spread.

This does not shock anyone in the field of emergency epidemic response because the vaccine stockpile has been precariously low for years.

The surprise — the good news, which is in itself surprising since ‘cholera’ and ‘good news’ are rarely used together — is that three new vaccine makers are setting up production lines and joining the effort to replenish the stockpile.

And a fourth company, the only one that currently makes the vaccine, which is given orally, has been working at a pace that experts describe as “heroic” to expand its production."

Stephanie Nolen reports for the New York Times April 11, 2024.

SEE ALSO:

"The Push for a Better Dengue Vaccine Grows More Urgent" (New York Times)

"More States Are Finding Bird Flu In Cattle. This Is What Scientists Are Watching For" (NPR)

Source: NYTimes, 04/12/2024