Kigali — Lessons learned during the COVID‑19 pandemic about scaling up vaccine production could help ease Africa’s cholera outbreak, according to Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. Since 2022, the World Health Organization has recorded more than 130,000 cholera cases and 3,000 deaths on the continent, with Malawi confronting its worst epidemic in decades. During the pandemic, governments and funders made resources available for research and development of new vaccines; Moeti says similar actions would benefit cholera control.
Cholera is often described as a disease of inequity, driven primarily by inadequate access to safe water and hygiene facilities. A large proportion of African households still lack these basic services, and the continent faces frequent droughts, floods, and population displacements—conditions that increase vulnerability to cholera outbreaks. Although cholera can be treated easily, lack of access to health facilities can lead to high mortality, especially when health care is further strained by environmental crises.
Preventing cholera requires investment in safe water and sanitation infrastructure, such as toilets. In the health sector, national governments should engage communities to raise awareness of transmission pathways and promote local actions that mitigate outbreaks. The recent global rise in cholera cases has placed a huge strain on vaccine availability.
The COVID‑19 pandemic offers several lessons that can be applied to the cholera situation. During the pandemic, rapid mobilization of resources for vaccine research and development dramatically shortened timelines. Similar investments could expand the number and types of cholera vaccines.
Africa’s cholera outbreaks have occurred amid extreme climatic events, military and political conflicts, financial crises, weak health workforces, and other infections such as COVID‑19 and wild poliovirus. WHO Africa is working with countries to strengthen response capacities, build expertise, advocate, mobilize resources, fill critical gaps, and promote joint action. Through its Contingency Fund for Emergencies, US$5.4 million has been disbursed to support response actions. Despite vaccine shortages, 3.4 million doses of oral cholera vaccine have been secured for campaigns in Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mozambique.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity and was produced by SciDev.Net’s sub‑Saharan Africa English desk.
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