The World Health Organization is set train health professionals on the importance of integrating the oral cholera vaccine (OCV) as option for emergency and preventive cholera outbreak in endemic countries.
The hybrid training which aligns with ‘Ending Cholera: A global Road Map to 2030, is intended for individuals that will be involved in the planning and implementation of OCV campaigns.
Rebecca Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa said that “the increasing use of oral cholera vaccines to complete other interventions including water, sanitation and hygiene, for prevention and control of cholera outbreaks, is additional achievement in humanity walk toward vaccine equity and universal health coverage.”
She noted that the capacity building workshop will strengthen our health systems in implementing high-quality OCV activities.
The road map launched in 2017 targets a 90% reduction in cholera deaths by 2030 and the elimination of cholera in at least 20 countries out of the 47 currently affected.
According to the road map, priority countries are to plan OCV campaigns in targeted cholera hotspots as a component of their National Cholera Control Plan (NCP). However, there are some challenges.
As such, the workshop targeting the Anglophone Cholera Priority countries aims to strengthen the capacities of health professionals from ministries of health (MOH), key in-country partners and independent individuals who soon are likely to lead or be part of decision making regarding the inclusion of OCV in cholera control activities or who may coordinate an OCV campaign.
The workshop is designed to address the associated lack of human resources knowledgeable about OCV by building awareness and practical skills on developing an emergency and preventive OCV campaign request, including how to identify areas in an active outbreak to target OCV as a control intervention and how to identify hotspots to prevent cholera outbreaks as part of a multi-year OCV plan.