• The WHO has approved a new, simpler version of an existing oral cholera vaccine, which should help increase the number of available doses as global cases surge.
• The Euvichol-S vaccine is a simplified formulation of Euvichol-Plus, with fewer components.
• It is produced by EuBiologicals Co., Ltd, South Korea.
• The liquid vaccine has a 24-month shelf life.

ABOUT CHOLERA:

• Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by eating or drinking food or water that is contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
• Cholera remains a global threat to public health and is an indicator of inequity and lack of social development.
• Researchers have estimated that every year, there are 1.3 to 4 million cases of cholera, and 21,000 to 143,000 deaths worldwide due to the infection.
• Cholera is an extremely serious disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhoea with severe dehydration.
• It takes between 12 hours and five days for a person to show symptoms after consuming contaminated food or water.
• Cholera affects both children and adults and can kill within hours if untreated.
• Currently, 23 countries are reporting cholera outbreaks. The most severe impacts are being felt in the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Somalia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.