In 2015, more than 1 million people in 7 high-risk countries received the oral cholera vaccine, thanks to campaigns run by WHO and partners. This extraordinary measure was taken to contain several cholera outbreaks from spreading further. The vaccine provides protection for up to 5 years from an avoidable disease that kills between 42 000 and 142 000 people, mainly children every year.

Putting out fires before they spread like wildfire

Campaigns in Iraq, Malawi and South Sudan are recent examples of using the oral cholera vaccine (OCV) to control the spread of existing cholera outbreaks.

″The ideal time to use the vaccine is in areas that are not yet affected by cholera or where cases are just starting to be reported,” explains Dr Dominique Legros, expert on cholera at WHO. “Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), we are able to map those areas with zero to low cases of cholera. We vaccinate in these areas to ring-fence the outbreak and thereby stop its spread. The use of GIS mapping is very helpful to pinpoint exact locations of communities needing vaccination.″

In Malawi’s southern district of Nsanje, an OCV campaign was conducted between March and May 2015. The campaign was a complementary measure in addition to other response elements focused on improving water, sanitation and hygiene as well as health promotion. The campaign targeted more than 160 000 people from the age of one year in 19 camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and the surrounding communities.