The Gambella area has efficiently concluded a complete Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) marketing campaign, marking a essential milestone within the ongoing combat in opposition to the cholera outbreak that has impacted a number of districts.
Launched on the finish of March, the marketing campaign aimed to achieve greater than 990 communities, with sturdy coordination between federal and regional well being authorities.
With the management of the Ethiopian Public Well being Institute (EPHI) and collaboration of companions, the marketing campaign was carried out efficiently. Each the general public and the vaccinators displayed commendable dedication.
Well being Minister Dr. Mekdes Daba, alongside senior authorities officers, inaugurated the marketing campaign, reaffirming the federal government’s dedication to halting the unfold of cholera. In help of the initiative, 16 short-term cholera therapy facilities have been established in high-burden areas, and roughly 30 water tankers have been deployed to handle acute water shortages.
Because the outbreak’s onset in February 2025, a major variety of cholera instances have been reported throughout the nation, with Gambella remaining one of the crucial affected areas. Underneath EPHI’s management, a coordinated response involving multi-sectoral stakeholders was launched. This included house-to-house disinfection, water testing and therapy, latrine building, and threat communication and group engagement actions.
The OCV marketing campaign was carried out in parallel with these interventions to interrupt transmission and convey the outbreak below management. Energetic case searches and strengthened case administration additionally performed a key position.
The World Well being Group (WHO) supplied essential technical and operational help. WHO deployed fast response groups to affected areas and delivered steering on WaSH, threat communication, and medical administration. The group additionally skilled vaccinators primarily based on WHO OCV requirements and provided supportive supervision all through the marketing campaign.
WHO supported Ethiopia’s request for over 1 million vaccine doses via the Worldwide Coordination Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision, backed by the Gavi Vaccine Alliance. It additionally provided important logistics and medical supplies, benefiting greater than 1,700 cholera sufferers. Extra efforts included hygiene promotion, the distribution of water therapy chemical compounds, and the set up of handwashing stations in susceptible communities.
These complete efforts have been made doable via the monetary help of the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), Japan Supplementary Funds (JSB), European Civil Safety and Humanitarian Assist Operations (ECHO), and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Dr. Abel Assefa Zugi, Head of the Gambella Regional Well being Bureau, praised the response. “The intervention has already proven encouraging outcomes, with a marked decline in extreme cholera instances inside simply ten days of the marketing campaign,” he mentioned.
“This marketing campaign demonstrates what might be achieved when nationwide management, group engagement, and robust associate collaboration come collectively,” mentioned Dr. Owen L. Kaluwa, WHO Consultant to Ethiopia. “WHO stays dedicated to supporting Ethiopia’s efforts to forestall and reply to cholera outbreaks and to strengthen long-term well being system resilience.”
Aligned with Ethiopia’s nationwide cholera elimination technique and the International Roadmap to Finish Cholera by 2030, OCV campaigns in high-risk districts purpose to cease transmission whereas laying the inspiration for long-term water, sanitation, and hygiene enhancements.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal sickness brought on by ingesting meals or water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae. It could possibly result in extreme dehydration and dying if untreated, however early detection and fluid alternative remedy can successfully save lives.