Cholera vaccine stocks 'empty' as cases surge

The emergency global stockpile of cholera vaccines is empty with all available doses for this month already allocated to countries battling major outbreaks, two United Nations agencies told Reuters.

The rest of this year will see a predicted shortfall of at least 50 million doses between demand and supply, a UNICEF official added, as cases continue to surge worldwide.

“The stockpile is empty,” said Philippe Barboza, cholera lead at the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.N.’s health agency.

The acute shortage of cholera vaccines has been an issue since at least October 2022, when the WHO recommended using only one dose, rather than two, to stretch out the stockpile it jointly manages with other health agencies.

But the recent surge in cases, particularly in countries including Zambia and Zimbabwe, has put even more pressure on the scarce supply.