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2d ago

WHO, Gavi and UNICEF Restart Preventive Cholera Vaccinations With 20 Million Doses

Improved global supply allows a shift from emergency response to prevention.

Cholera vaccine are ready to be given in Blantyre, southern Malawi, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thoko Chikondi)
A health worker administers a cholera vaccine in Blantyre, southern Malawi, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thoko Chikondi)
A health worker opens a cholera vaccine in Blantyre, southern Malawi, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thoko Chikondi)
A child receives a cholera vaccine dose in Gedaref during a campaign to combat the outbreak in war-torn Sudan

Overview

  • An initial 20 million oral cholera vaccine doses are being deployed for preventive campaigns, with 3.6 million delivered to Mozambique, 6.1 million to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and 10.3 million planned for Bangladesh.
  • Global stockpiles reached nearly 70 million doses in 2025, roughly double the 35 million available in 2022, enabling the first preventive drives in more than three years.
  • WHO will keep a one‑dose regimen as the standard for outbreak responses for now, with two‑dose campaigns considered case by case.
  • Gavi is financing the doses and UNICEF is handling procurement and delivery; WHO credited EUBiologics as the only manufacturer currently producing at the needed scale and urged additional producers to enter the market.
  • More than 600,000 cases and nearly 7,600 deaths were reported to WHO last year as deaths continued to rise, and partners emphasized pairing vaccination with water, sanitation and hygiene improvements.