Countries have been urged to ensure the early allocation and shipment of vaccines in order to curb outbreaks of Cholera on the continent.
World Health Organization Country Representative to Nigeria, Dr. Walter Molumbo made the appeal at the training on the integration of Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) in emergency and preventative contexts in Nigeria’s capital.
He said challenges identified during the 2021 annual Global Task Force on Cholera Control is a key factor that needs to be addressed in this year’s 2022 elimination strategy to ensure accountability and commitment.
Statistics show that about 4 million cases and 143,000 deaths are recorded yearly across the globe due to cholera, of which 54% were from Africa.
However, the Cholera burden has continued to pose huge concerns to partners and donors propelling them to seek ways to eliminate the epidemic, particularly among children and adults who consumed contaminated food or water, which can kill within hours if untreated.
This shared responsibility has constituted the WHO’s early preparedness to avert the future reoccurrence of cholera outbreaks especially as countries are warming up for the rainy season.
To this end, participants are drawn from different African regions to significantly mitigate the risk of an upsurge of cholera cases during this period to develop a global roadmap for cholera control for mass vaccination exercises.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Walter Molumbo, WHO country representative in Nigeria said the training is aimed at boosting the campaign to end cholera by 2030 while urging the Global Task Force on Cholera Control to not only include vaccination but to implement the Water, Sanit
“The challenges identified during the 2021 annual GTFCC stakeholder meeting, including a) Poor quality reactive and preventative OCV campaign requests b) Lack of OCV use as an outbreak response in some settings, and c) Inadequate monitoring and evaluation of OCV campaigns and need to be addressed sooner than later.
WHO is cognizant of the need to implement quality campaigns and the operational challenges in different contexts. Nigeria has demonstrated the capacity to implement campaigns in difficult settings, including security challenges as experienced in the 2 LGAs in Zamfara as well as addressed and improved Campaign data quality, through the use of real-time reporting by vaccination teams using hand mobile phones. We believe that the vast experience built-in Nigeria over the years in implementing mass vaccination campaigns will come to bear, as we prepare for these preventive campaigns.
We are confident that the opportunity of this training for knowledge sharing from the three levels of the organization and the multiple country participants, will not only help improve the gaps identified but also ensure that countries are better prepared to request, plan and implement quality campaigns with OCV as part of their national Cholera control plans and further contribute the long-term goal of Ending Cholera by 2030.
Pursuant to addressing equality and equity issues and ensuring reduction in zero doses children in alignment with the Gavi 5.0 and the Immunization Agenda 2030, we must ensure that all opportunities of vaccination campaigns are used to specifically target areas with huge zero doses and ensure that these often-missed children are not only offered OCV but opportunities for all routine vaccination.
Cholera control efforts are holistic including more than just vaccination. The need to address issues around WASH remains critical in the long term. This brings to bear the need for improved coordination of cholera control efforts and ensure that clean and safe water as well as improved hygienic practices as highlighted in the Cholera control plans are implemented in a sustainable manner to ensure we achieve the desired goal.”
Also speaking the Nigeria Minister of Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire while commending the WHO support towards its prevention and control initiative to ending cholera noted that it is a recurrent seasonal public health challenge that affects mainly the Low and lower middle income countries thus suing for proper hygiene practice for healthier living.
“The traditional measures for cholera prevention and control have been to provide potable water and improve hygiene and sanitation. Science has, however, over the years, rising to the task, with the development of the oral cholera vaccine, now certified as effective enough to be recommended for disease prevention and control. Availability of the vaccine has unfortunately been limited, which has restricted its use and the much-expected impact.
I, therefore, welcome this training as a prelude to equitable access to this vaccine, and another step towards our goal of better health for all. I believe it will strengthen our health system by reducing or even removing one more public health nuisance by vaccination.”
The essence of the training is to enable broad knowledge towards the eradication of cholera even as WHO is also committed to monitoring and evaluating the implementation of this plan and approaches used for best practice.
