ARTICLE - PILOT VACCINATION PROGRAM - CHOLERA

BEGINNING OF A PILOT PROGRAM OF VACCINATION AGAINST CHOLERA
(Haiti Libre) -

Dr. Gabriel Thimoté, Director General of the Ministry of Public Health and Population has announced a pilot vaccination program against cholera, on a small number of people, that should begin in Haiti during the month of February.

"...at the beginning, the Ministry had reticence about the vaccination against cholera, due to the lack of vaccine availability, and also because of the fact that the vaccine that had been chosen, [the Shanchol], had not yet received pre-qualification from the World Health Organization (WHO). But after contacts, meetings with experts, both Haitian and foreign, and especially, after approval by the WHO of the Shanchol vaccine, which is an oral vaccine that does not require major conservation measures, the Ministry opted for vaccination against cholera in Haiti.

Note that this is not a study. It is not a research experience. This is not a test and this is not a drug. It is a vaccine that permits a certain protection against cholera. In the pilot project, we will limit the population to about 200 volunteers [...] and analyze the results, to enable us to extend it to a larger number of the population. [...]

Before vaccination, there will be awareness campaigns, because the vaccination project is an addition to the prevention campaign that we always do, hand washing etc... We will do it in a manner that we can extend it to the whole population [...] to allow us to obtain results in a general way [...] The vaccination campaign will start in February [...] we will inform the public of all stages of the vaccination."

Dr. Thimoté insists that it is not a test or experimental experience, stating that the Shanchol vaccine is given in a number of other countries in the world and that its effectiveness can reach over 80%. [...].

Learn more about the Shanchol and mass vaccination :

Shanchol, an orally administered vaccine against cholera, recently approved by WHO, was developed by "the International Vaccine Institute" in Seoul (South Korea), through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and is manufactured by "Shantha Biotechnics' in India.

Until recently, oral vaccines against cholera, easier administrable, have been little used. The immunization generally requires two doses per adult and 3 per child , spaced at least one week apart. A recurring repeat is necessary, where the frequency varies with the age of the patient. The vaccine provides protection a week later. The effectiveness of this protection appears to be variable, but people who are vaccinated and who would be again contaminated, they would escape to the severe form of the disease.

There is no example in the world, of mass vaccination for cholera during an epidemic. This lack of experience and the considerable logistical problems related to the preparation, storage of vaccine and monitoring of patients [double or triple vaccination and regular repeat periods] make the application of a large-scale vaccination complex and difficult.