Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Global health agencies restart preventive cholera vaccination campaigns after vaccine supply reaches a critical recovery level, ending a three-year suspension driven by global shortages.
Gavi, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that oral cholera vaccine availability now supports large-scale prevention efforts. Mozambique becomes the first country to resume campaigns amid flooding, displacement and an active outbreak.
“Vaccine shortages forced us to react instead of prevent,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says. “We are now in a stronger position to break that cycle.”
An initial 20 million doses are allocated globally, with shipments to Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bangladesh. Annual vaccine supply has nearly doubled since 2022, reaching almost 70 million doses in 2025.
Gavi CEO Dr Sania Nishtar says the resurgence of cholera exposes the need for reliable vaccine manufacturing.
“Sustainable vaccine supply is a global public good,” she says.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stresses that vaccination alone is not enough.
“Protecting children also requires safe water, sanitation and hygiene,” Russell says.
Countries receive doses based on equity criteria set by the Global Task Force for Cholera Control, ensuring vaccines reach high-risk populations first.
Cholera cases continue to surge worldwide, with more than 600,000 cases and 7,600 deaths reported last year across 33 countries, though experts warn the true toll is higher.
Health leaders say the return of preventive vaccination marks a critical step, but long-term success depends on political commitment to clean water, sanitation infrastructure and disease surveillance
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