World cholera vaccine stockpile empty: WHO

Geneva: There are no more oral cholera vaccines left in the global stockpile, the World Health Organization said on Friday, with the shortage jeopardi...

Geneva: There are no more oral cholera vaccines left in the global stockpile, the World Health Organization said on Friday, with the shortage jeopardising work to stop the disease's spread.

Global vaccine production is operating at full capacity, but demand is outpacing supply, the UN health agency said in its monthly situation report.

"As of October 14, the global stockpile of oral cholera vaccine is depleted, with no remaining doses available," the WHO said.

"Although more doses are expected in the coming weeks, this shortage poses significant challenges to outbreak response efforts and hampers efforts to control the spread of the disease."

The WHO said that between September 1 and October 14, the International Coordinating Group on vaccine provision received requests for oral cholera vaccines from Bangladesh, Sudan, Niger, Ethiopia and Myanmar.