More than 800,000 cholera vaccines to be given in Congo, WHO says

WHO announced today that it has partnered with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, Ministry of Health to provide more than 800,000 people with cholera immunizations. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, will fund the initiative, which will be implemented in North Kivu, in the eastern part of the DRC.

“Cholera is a preventable disease,” Deo Nshimirimana, MD, acting WHO representative in the DRC, said in a press release. “Vaccinating people at risk in the most exposed health zones in North Kivu against cholera is a massive contribution and will protect hundreds of thousands of people against the disease and raise population immunity levels in these areas.”

By the target date of June 1, the partners estimate a total of 835,183 people in the areas of Binza, Goma, Kayina, Karisimbi, Kibirizi, Kirotshe and Rutshuru will receive the first of two doses of oral cholera vaccine (OCV). The doses of OCV will come from the global cholera vaccine stockpile, funded by Gavi. Another campaign will be established for the second dose, following successful implementation of the first, according to the release.

The DRC, which has suffered from decades of conflict, is currently threatened by numerous outbreaks. WHO reports over 10,000 cases of cholera in the country since January, with more than 240 deaths. Measles estimates are placed at more than 80,000, with over 1,400 deaths. In addition, the country’s Ebola outbreak — its 10th in about 40 years — has caused a total of 1,920 confirmed or probable cases and more than 1,200 deaths.

“The DRC is confronted with an unprecedented combination of deadly epidemics,” Seth Berkley, MD, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said in the release. “While the Ebola outbreak continues to cause untold misery in the East, measles and cholera epidemics are claiming the lives of thousands of people throughout the country.”

According to Berkley, the siege of outbreaks will be addressed through the cholera vaccination campaign, ongoing measles vaccinations in health zones affected by the disease, and with ongoing support for Ebola vaccinations in both the DRC and neighboring countries. – by Joe Gramigna

Disclosures: Berkley is CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Nshimirimana works for WHO.