Today, the World Health Organization announced the resumption of the global vaccination program against cholera after a hiatus of nearly four years as a result of severe shortages in vaccine supplies.
In a joint statement with the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the organization reported that the stock of oral cholera vaccines in the global stockpile managed by these organizations has shown a marked improvement, reaching approximately “70 million doses” over the past year.
The statement explained that the initial distribution process for “20 million doses” of the vaccine has already begun, with 3.6 million doses allocated to Mozambique, (6.1 million doses) to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and (10.3 million doses) to be delivered to Bangladesh.
World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said global vaccine shortages have forced the international community to respond to cholera outbreaks through emergency response rather than prevention over the past few years, stressing that improving current supplies is a real opportunity to break this cycle.
The World Health Organization noted that over 600,000 cholera cases and approximately 7,600 deaths were recorded worldwide in the past year.
He noted that the number of cholera infections has increased every year since 2021 and recorded a decline in 2025, although mortality rates related to the disease continued to rise.
The World Health Organization today announced the start of a global preventive vaccination program against cholera, after a nearly four-year hiatus due to severe vaccine supply shortages.
In a joint statement with the Global Vaccine Alliance Gavi and the United Nations Children’s Fund UNICEF, the organization said the global stock of oral cholera vaccines managed by these organizations has improved significantly, reaching around “70 million doses” over the past year.
The statement revealed that distribution of the first batch of vaccines, totaling “20 million doses”, has already begun, with (3.6 million doses) to be allocated to Mozambique, (6.1 million doses) to the Democratic Republic of Congo and (10.3 million doses) to Bangladesh.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said that global vaccine shortages have forced the international community to respond to cholera outbreaks in the past few years with emergency response rather than prevention, stressing that improving current supplies represents a real opportunity to break this cycle.
The World Health Organization noted that more than “600,000” cholera cases and approximately “7,600” deaths from the disease were recorded worldwide last year.
The report noted that the number of cholera infections will increase every year from 2021 onwards, recording a decline in 2025, while mortality rates related to the disease continue to rise.
