Mass Vaccination with a Two-Dose Oral Cholera Vaccine in a Refugee Camp.
Abstract
In refugee settings, the use of cholera vaccines is controversial since a mass vaccination campaign might disrupt other priority interventions. We therefore conducted a study to assess the feasibility of such a campaign using a two-dose oral cholera vaccine in a refugee camp. The campaign, using killed whole-cell/recombinant B-subunit cholera vaccine, was carried out in October 1997 among 44,000 south Sudanese refugees in Uganda. Outcome variables included the number of doses administered, the drop-out rate between the two rounds, the proportion of vaccine wasted, the speed of administration, the cost of the campaign, and the vaccine coverage. Overall, 63,220 doses of vaccine were administered. At best, 200 vaccine doses were administered per vaccination site and per hour. The direct cost of the campaign amounted to US$ 14,655, not including the vaccine itself. Vaccine coverage, based on vaccination cards, was 83.0% and 75.9% for the first and second rounds, respectively. Mass vaccination of a large refugee population with an oral cholera vaccine therefore proved to be feasible. A pre-emptive vaccination strategy could be considered in stable refugee settings and in urban slums in high-risk areas. However, the potential cost of the vaccine and the absence of quickly accessible stockpiles are major drawbacks for its large-scale use.Publisher
Published by WHOPubMed ID
10593032Additional Links
http://www.who.int/bulletin/enLanguage
enISSN
0042-9686Collections
Related articles
- Cost-effectiveness of oral cholera vaccine in a stable refugee population at risk for epidemic cholera and in a population with endemic cholera.
- Authors: Murray J, McFarland DA, Waldman RJ
- Issue date: 1998
- Feasibility of a mass vaccination campaign using a two-dose oral cholera vaccine in an urban cholera-endemic setting in Mozambique.
- Authors: Cavailler P, Lucas M, Perroud V, McChesney M, Ampuero S, Guérin PJ, Legros D, Nierle T, Mahoudeau C, Lab B, Kahozi P, Deen JL, von Seidlein L, Wang XY, Puri M, Ali M, Clemens JD, Songane F, Baptista A, Ismael F, Barreto A, Chaignat CL
- Issue date: 2006 May 29
- Coverage and costs of mass immunization of an oral cholera vaccine in Vietnam.
- Authors: Vu DT, Hossain MM, Nguyen DS, Nguyen TH, Rao MR, Do GC, Naficy A, Nguyen TK, Acosta CJ, Deen JL, Clemens JD, Dang DT
- Issue date: 2003 Dec
- Feasibility of a preventive mass vaccination campaign with two doses of oral cholera vaccine during a humanitarian emergency in South Sudan.
- Authors: Porta MI, Lenglet A, de Weerdt S, Crestani R, Sinke R, Frawley MJ, Van Herp M, Zachariah R
- Issue date: 2014 Dec
- Coverage and cost of a large oral cholera vaccination program in a high-risk cholera endemic urban population in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- Authors: Khan IA, Saha A, Chowdhury F, Khan AI, Uddin MJ, Begum YA, Riaz BK, Islam S, Ali M, Luby SP, Clemens JD, Cravioto A, Qadri F
- Issue date: 2013 Dec 9