Abuja, 26 April, 2022 – The World Health Group (WHO) has kicked off a 5-day workshop on 25 April 2002 in Abuja for public health officials to present a buy to the capacities to integrate oral cholera vaccination (OCV) into the emergency and preventive measures in some Anglophone Cholera Priority countries in Africa.
With contributors from six countries – Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, South Sudan, Uganda and the host nation, Nigeria – the learning aligns with ‘Ending Cholera: A World Motorway Blueprint to 2030; and is supposed for folk that would possibly be serious concerning the planning and implementation of OCV campaigns.
Speaking on the outlet of the hybrid (online and bodily) training, Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said the learning is a welcome pattern as a prelude to equitable salvage entry to to the OCV vaccine and one more step towards the draw of better health for all.
Dr Ehanire, whereas appreciating WHO for the initiative, implored contributors to make the acceptable spend of the opportunity and build of their most attention-grabbing to construct the records and abilities most important to spend the vaccine to set away with cholera as a recurrent health arena in Africa.
The minister said that whereas broken-down measures for cholera prevention and management were to construct potable water and make stronger hygiene and sanitation, science has, however, over the years, risen to the job, with the advance of the oral cholera vaccine, now licensed as effective sufficient to be advised for illness prevention and management
“I commend WHO for this laudable and clean initiative, a application for prevention and management of cholera outbreaks, which has for some time now, change into a recurrent seasonal public health arena in many Low and decrease-center-earnings countries, esteem ours, despite efforts to manipulate it, he said.
In his comment, the WHO Country Representative, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, said that the learning affords the opportunity for files sharing among organizations and the a pair of nation contributors.
In step with him, WHO is cognizant of the ought to enforce quality campaigns and the operational challenges in diversified contexts. Working per the preparedness for future campaigns, the recently licensed GTFCC application for Nigeria with roughly 9million doses of OCV to enforce two campaigns in 14 LGAs in 9 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, would deal mitigate the bother of an upsurge of cholera conditions trusty through this raining season.
“We voice that the plentiful experience built-in Nigeria over the years in enforcing mass vaccination campaigns will arrive to undergo, as we prepare for these preventive campaigns.
Who appears to be like to be forward to the outputs of this training and guarantee you of WHO Nigeria’s reinforce to the Govt of Nigeria in enforcing the NCP (when finalized), including making sure quality vaccination campaigns whereas also monitoring and evaluating the implementation of this notion”, he said.
Coaching draw
The WHO OCV level of interest, Malika Bouhenia highlighted the delays in implementation of vaccination campaigns which were identified to be which capability of skill gaps in countries, sufficient Human resources and records around what mechanisms to salvage entry to the vaccines. This training became as soon as planned to desire a gaze at to handle a majority of those gaps across all endemic countries.
Meanwhile, Vincent Sodjinou Dossou, WHO Africa Plight, said the of the learning is to make stronger on the gaps identified trusty through the 2021 annual World Project Force on Cholera Support a watch on (GTFCC) stakeholder meeting.
He illustrious that it would possibly probably enable countries to be better prepared to inquire of of, notion and enforce quality campaigns with OCV as allotment of their national Cholera management plans and additional contribute to the long-term draw of Ending Cholera by 2030.
Historically, WHO African Plight Member States, including Nigeria, have skilled quite loads of cholera outbreaks characterized by excessive case fatality charges and vaccination in opposition to cholera is an increasing vogue of faded as extra management measures for the prevention and the management of cholera outbreaks since 2013.
Taking part countries on the stop of this training shall be expected to be better outfitted to prepare ICG requests for oral cholera vaccines as effectively as GTFCC positive aspects for preventive oral cholera vaccines.
The World Project Force on Cholera Support a watch on (GTFCC) is a global network of organizations that brings collectively partners serious concerning the fight in opposition to cholera across all sectors, providing an efficient nation-pushed platform that promotes a multi-sectoral, effectively-coordinated formulation.
Technical Contact:
Dr Terna Nomhwange; Electronic mail: nomhwanget [at] who.int.