On Friday, the World Health Organization stated that the global stockpile of cholera vaccines the agency manages is "currently empty or extremely low." The agency stated that global fatality rates are rising and that more than 30 countries around the world have reported cholera outbreaks in 2022.

In the press release, Dr. Philippe Barboza, WHO Team Lead for Cholera and Epidemic Diarrhoeal Diseases, referred to an emergency stockpile held by the International Coordinating Group on vaccine provision. This coordinating group has 36 million doses available a year.

In October, the shortage of vaccines already prompted the WHO to temporarily suspend the standard two-dose vaccination strategy. Dr. Barboza stated that the shortage was caused by a decision by an Indian manufacturer to halt exports, without giving details.

He added that pharmaceutical companies preferred to produce the COVID vaccine over a vaccine for cholera because the income from the former vaccine is much higher.