The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently adopted and published a recommendation made by its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP), concerning the use of PaxVax’s cholera vaccine, Vaxchora.
The recommendation, which was unanimously approved by the CDC’s ACIP in June 2016, stated that the vaccine should be used in adults aged 18-64 years old who are traveling to an area of active cholera transmission.
The recommendation was subsequently published in the May 12 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The single dose vaccine was approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2016 to protect against disease specifically caused by Vibrio cholera serogroup O1. Prior to approval, the vaccine underwent 10-day and 90-day trials, showing a vaccine efficacy rate of 90.3 percent at 10 days and 79.5 percent at three months after administration.
“Cholera represents a rising global public health challenge,” Jason Harris of the Harvard Medical School said. “Its prevalence has increased since the start of the millennium and outbreaks continue to have devastating effects. In addition, the number of countries where cholera is endemic has increased and the disease is now endemic in over 60 countries.”
Cholera causes an estimated three million infections per year throughout the world, while more than eight million U.S. travelers visit countries where cholera is actively being transmitted. Five of the top 20 nations for international U.S. travelers are areas with active cholera transmission, including China, Jamaica, India, the Philippines and the Dominican Republic.