Illness.Thanks to the growth of global production, the fight against competition has been revived after three years

With the global supply of oral cholera vaccine doubled, Gavi, UNICEF and WHO announced the resumption of life-saving prevention campaigns, starting in Mozambique.

The global supply of cholera vaccine has now increased to a level sufficient to allow life-saving preventive action to resume for the first time in more than three years.

It was announced by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Unicef​​​​​​​​and the World Health Organization.

Mozambique will be the first country to resume preventive vaccination after it was suspended in 2022 due to a global increase in cholera cases, which has raised demand and left a supply shortage of the oral cholera vaccine (OCV).

A preventive vaccination campaign has been launched against the ongoing cholera epidemic and the impact of floods that have affected more than 700,000 people and displaced many.Flooding has damaged health care systems and damaged water systems, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera.

"Global vaccine shortages have forced us to respond to cholera outbreaks rather than prevent them. We are now in a much stronger position to break the cycle. I am grateful to EUBiologics, which is currently the only producer of cholera vaccines on the scale needed for mass vaccination campaigns. Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

The first allocation of 20 million doses is used for prevention campaigns.Of those, 3.6 million doses have been sent to Mozambique;6.1 million for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is also experiencing major outbreaks;and 10.3 million doses are scheduled to be sent to Bangladesh.

Thanks to the continuous efforts of organizations, manufacturers and global partners, the annual supply of OCV worldwide has doubled from 35 million doses in 2022 to almost 70 million doses in 2025. The dose is funded by Gavi and purchased and delivered to the country by UNICEF.

"The multi-year increase in cholera cases and the unprecedented demand for vaccines was a clear reminder that a continuous and accessible supply of vaccines is a global public good," said Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi at the Vaccine Alliance.Epidemics and prevention."

"For the first time in years, this increase in vaccinations will allow us to better prevent large-scale cholera emergencies," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell."A new cholera vaccine will protect children and help stop a highly contagious disease. But it must go hand in hand with other efforts, including access to safe water and improved basic sanitation."

The three countries were selected based on allocation criteria established by the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC), in collaboration with more than 50 organizations, to ensure systematic, equitable and transparent allocation of cholera vaccines for prevention campaigns.

"This important situation shows the ability to bring together different partners to build a reliable response to cholera. The vaccine helps to protect the community and buy at critical times. However, sustainable development will depend on long-term investment in infrastructure, for which political commitment is necessary," said Dr.Ilesh Jani, Chairman of GTFCC Steering Committee.

Preventive vaccine recovery is possible thanks to years of sustained efforts and close collaboration between agencies, manufacturers and other partners to meet continued high demand for outbreak response, expand production capacity and simplify allocation, and ensure limited supplies reach places where the risk and impact on public health is greatest.

OCV is safe and effective and is recommended for use by people over one year of age. One dose can provide short-term protection for at least 6 months, helping to control outbreaks, while two doses can provide long-term protection against infections for up to 3 years.

Although global vaccine availability is rapidly improving, the single-dose strategy will remain the standard for outbreak responses, with the use of two doses being considered on a case-by-case basis.

Cholera: a continuous wave

Cholera is spread through contaminated food and water, causing severe diarrhea and dehydration.If not treated quickly, it can cause death.It occurs in areas without clean water and sanitation, especially in areas affected by conflict and poverty.

More than 600,000 people have diarrhea or acute diarrhea, and about 7,600 people were reported to WHO in 33 countries last year, although this is not reported because cholera is underreported. As of 2021, cholera cases worldwide have increased year-on-year, with a decrease seen in 2025. However, cholera deaths have continued to rise over the same period.

Vaccination is only one aspect of cholera prevention and response.Long-term investments in safe water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure, disease surveillance, rapid treatment and community engagement remain critical to preventing outbreaks from occurring and spreading, and to reducing long-term deaths.