The World Health Organization reported Wednesday that a temporary switch from the standard two doses of cholera vaccination to just one dose was necessary to combat the growing number of outbreaks.

The International Coordinating Group (ICG), which oversees emergency vaccine supplies, was forced to halt the two-dose schedule and allow doses to be used in more countries, according to the UN health agency, due to the constrained worldwide supply of cholera vaccinations.

WHO stated that 29 countries, including Haiti, Syria, and Malawi, had reported cholera cases this year. In contrast, less than 20 countries reported such epidemics collectively over the previous five years. It further mentioned that the trend worldwide is increasing outbreaks due to severe floods, droughts, violence, population movements, and other circumstances that restrict access to clean water and increase the risk of cholera epidemics.

The WHO warned that the existing cholera vaccine supply was "very restricted." WHO and other ICG members, including the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), and UNICEF, emphasized that a one-dose cholera vaccination method had been successfully used to combat epidemics.

(Source: https://health.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/pharma/cholera-vaccine-shortage-forces-move-to-one-dose-strategy-who/94969356)