WHO advises using 1 dose of cholera vaccine due to shortage

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization and its partners are recommending that countries temporarily switch to using a single dose of the cholera vaccine instead of two due to a global supply shortage. WHO said on Wednesday that one dose has proven effective in stopping outbreaks of the water-borne disease though there is limited evidence on how long the protection lasts. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that outbreaks in 29 countries this year are putting “unprecedented pressure” on the world’s limited vaccine supply and said “rationing must only be a temporary solution.” Haiti, Malawi and Syria are among the countries currently struggling to contain big cholera outbreaks.