More than 1.2 million cholera rapid diagnostic tests will be shipped to 14 countries in largest-ever global deployment, with the first shipment landing today in Malawi.
The global cholera diagnostics programme is funded and coordinated by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), with procurement and delivery to countries led by UNICEF, and undertaken in collaboration with the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC), and WHO.
It was developed in partnership with FIND, who led development of a target product profiledescribing the required characteristics of cholera RDTs, and other organizations.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has published a roadmap outlining critical actions needed to ensure supply of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) is able to meet growing demand from countries.
With rising cholera spread in Mozambique, some 1.8 million vaccines financed by Gavi are on their way to eight affected districts, reports ITREALMS.
The International Coordinating Group (ICG), mandated to manage emergency supplies of vaccines, first approved a request from Mozambique to vaccinate 1,358,682 people over the age of one with a single dose oral cholera vaccine strategy on 9th March and last week approved an additional request to vaccinate 410,629 people with a view of supporting the country’s efforts to limit mortality and reduce the spread of the disease.
