Clean Water or Cholera Vaccine?

Sanitation vs. Vaccination in Cholera Control

May 14, 2009

Only weeks away from the launch in India of an oral cholera vaccine significantly cheaper than available vaccines, community workers and health officials are still sceptical of whether a vaccine is the best way to control cholera, according to the International Vaccine Institute (IVI).

IVI’s director John Clemens told IRIN some water and sanitation programme managers argue that the focus in cholera control should be on safe water access rather than vaccine development.

Cholera is a diarrhoeal infection caused by bacteria found in tainted water and food. The disease generally strikes where water supply, sanitation, food safety, and hygiene are inadequate, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

© 2009 IRIN

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