cholera spread in Mozambique continues to accelerate, almost 1.8 million vaccines financed by Gavi

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With rising cholera spread in Mozambique, some 1.8 million vaccines financed by Gavi are on their way to eight affected districts, reports ITREALMS.

The International Coordinating Group (ICG), mandated to manage emergency supplies of vaccines, first approved a request from Mozambique to vaccinate 1,358,682 people over the age of one with a single dose oral cholera vaccine strategy on 9th March and last week approved an additional request to vaccinate 410,629 people with a view of supporting the country’s efforts to limit mortality and reduce the spread of the disease.

The use of oral cholera vaccines early in an outbreak are vital for helping break transmission as one component of a comprehensive response. Of the 1.8 million vaccines requested, almost 1.4 million will be administered in outbreak response campaigns in Cidade de Tete, Angonia, Mutarara, Doa, Cidade da Beira, Marromeu and Chimoio. An additional 411,000 doses will be sent to Quelimane City over the course of the next 10 days.

Mozambique will soon launch their National Cholera Control Plan, which includes the preventive use of cholera vaccines as one pillar of a multi-sectoral, long-term control plan.

Gavi, in partnership with the Global Task Force for Cholera Control, is working to support the country’s preventive vaccination campaign plans in areas with persistent cholera transmission, precipitated by lack of access to safe water and sanitation, exacerbated by knock-on effects of the pandemic as well as other factors including the recent cyclones.

The outbreaks in Mozambique follow a massive Cyclone Freddy which hit the country twice in 5 weeks, resulting to cholera outbreak.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, funds all four of the emergency stockpiles managed by ICG for cholera, Ebola, meningitis and yellow fever. This includes procurement and logistics of vaccine doses delivered to countries via UNICEF as well as operational costs of campaigns to deliver them.

Jalaa’ Abdelwahab, Director, Vaccine Programmes at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance said “Maintaining a stockpile of vaccines that can be rapidly distributed anywhere in the world is absolutely critical when it comes to containing epidemic-prone diseases. In Mozambique, urgent action is required to ensure that the devastation of Cyclone Freddy, which has destroyed thousands of homes and caused such loss of life, isn't further amplified by the ongoing cholera outbreak: protecting the most vulnerable from deadly disease must now be a top priority. With the persistent threat of cholera outbreaks, Gavi’s priority is to work with our partners to ensure countries are able to plan proactively to control cholera and respond appropriately, and that there is a sufficient supply of vaccines and country support to meet this growing demand."