Vaccine crisis could derail war on cholera

Shortage of Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) might delay effort by the government to fight cholera outbreaks in the affected counties.

This was revealed by Dr Nitya Udayraj, the Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF) Medical Coordinator in Kenya during an online Science Media Café organised by the Media for Environment, Science, and Health & Agriculture (MESHA) organisation yesterday.

According to Dr Nitya, the current demand for this vaccine in Kenya is high as more counties record cholera outbreaks yet supply is low. Low supply, she added, means that not all people who need this vaccine will have access to it which could lead to another disaster might soon strike.

Drought situation

“As MSF, we are lobbying for oral cholera vaccination. But since there is vaccine shortage, we are also advocating for increased response by other partners to improve water and sanitation situation for communities and overall living conditions for refugee population as well as advocating for increased response to the drought situation in ASAL region.” She emphasised.

Already the government has launched a campaign that aims to protect 2.2 million individuals in Nairobi, Wajir, Tana River, Garissa, and the Dadaab refugee camps since these are the most affected areas.

Currently, the UN vaccine stockpile is insufficient to the point that the WHO has issued emergency guidance limiting immunisation to one dose instead of the two required by the usual protocol.