The International Coordinating Group (ICG), is made up of members from the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, Médecins Sans Frontières, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
The switch to a single-dose approach will help conserve stocks, allowing the oral vaccine to combat the potentially fatal waterborne disease in more countries, amid an “unprecedented” rise in outbreaks, said WHO in a press release.
Since January this year, 29 countries have reported cholera cases, including Haiti, Malawi and Syria which are facing a mounting caseload. In comparison, in the previous five years, fewer than 20 countries on average, reported outbreaks.
“The global trend is moving towards more numerous, more widespread and more severe outbreaks, due to floods, droughts, conflict, population movements and other factors that limit access to clean water and raise the risk of cholera outbreaks”, said the UN health agency.
