Cholera vaccines for the developing world

Abstract

Cholera remains as a global public health threat affecting most of the developing world. In endemic areas, young children are most affected. Outbreaks are reported increasingly from more countries. Improvements in water and sanitation may be the mainstays of cholera prevention but in the short term, vaccines provide an alternative in cholera control. Since 1999, the World Health Organization has advocated the use of oral cholera vaccines as an adjunct in the control of cholera. Although internationally available, oral cholera vaccines are not extensively used in public health settings in developing countries where they are most needed. We review oral cholera vaccines that are currently available and in the pipeline including the need for policies that will ensure more extensive usage of these vaccines.