cholera vaccine

A cholera vaccine is a vaccine that is effective at reducing the risk of contracting cholera. The recommended cholera vaccines are administered orally to elicit local immune responses in the gut, where the intestinal cells produce antibodies against Vibrio cholerae, the bacteria responsible for the illness. This immune response was poorly achieved with the injectable vaccines that were used until the 1970s. The first effective oral cholera vaccine was Dukoral, developed in Sweden in the 1980s. For the first six months after vaccination it provides about 85% protection, which decreases to approximately 60% during the first two years. When enough of the population is immunized, it may protect those who have not been immunized thereby increasing the total protective impact to more than 90 % (known as herd immunity).

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of three oral cholera vaccines – Dukoral, Shanchol, and Euvichol-Plus – in combination with other measures among those at high risk for cholera. Two vaccine doses with a one to six week interval are typically recommended. The duration of protection is at least two years in adults and six months in children aged one to five years. A live, attenuated single-dose oral vaccine is available for those traveling to an area where cholera is common but is not WHO approved for public health use.