Cholera vaccine shortage reaches worst point yet, with experts fearing deadly outbreaks
An unprecedented shortage of cholera vaccine has public health experts fearing that a recent surge of outbreaks across developing countries will only worsen, a situation they argue is as regrettable as it was avoidable.
At least 16 countries in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean are dealing with cholera outbreaks. According to the latest report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, between Dec. 23 and Jan. 23, nearly 50,500 people contracted cholera and nearly 500 died. Those numbers will almost certainly rise amid the worst vaccine shortage since an oral vaccine was introduced in the 1990s.
