Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health and Sanitation announced this week that half a million people in areas affected by floods and landslides will receive cholera vaccinations starting this month.
The two rounds of vaccines will come from the global stockpile funded by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The Government of Sierra Leone, the Gavi Alliance, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the UK Government, and other health partners will distribute them to 25 communities.
“Cholera is a devastating disease which spreads quickly and kills fast, and risks can increase after severe flooding,” Brima Kargbo, chief medical officer at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, said. “The oral cholera vaccine is an important tool to better protect the country and affected communities against the disease, which will ultimately save lives.”
The International Coordinating Group (ICG) for Vaccine Provision quickly decided to send the vaccines after a WHO specialist was deployed to the country.
“The devastating floods and landslides which ravaged Sierra Leone throughout August have left the country dangerously vulnerable to waterborne disease outbreaks,” Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi Alliance, said. “Access to safe water and sanitation is limited, and the public health system, still recovering after the 2014 Ebola outbreak, is stretched. These lifesaving vaccines, alongside urgent support to improve safe water and sanitation, have the potential to prevent a cholera outbreak before it has the chance to bring more misery to a country that has already suffered enough.”