Haiti's first ever battle against Cholera started on October 21st of 2010. In less than three months the bacterium has killed more than 3,800 people. This article the debate among international health agencies over efficacious use the Cholera vaccine.
There are roughly 300,000 doses of the vaccine available to administer to a population of over 10 million. As the article emphasized, there is currently not enough vaccine to immunize the entire country.
It would seem logical to give the vaccine to individuals in areas at highest risk. Would it be wise for health professionals to arrange the vaccination program to give to individuals who would have the most difficulty getting access to medical care if they fell sick? If that is the case, who are those individuals? Are they the children living in post-earthquake slums in Port-au-Prince? Should efforts focus on vaccinating rural communities located far away from any hospitals?
I wonder about the administration of the vaccine itself. Dukoral is drinkable, safe for children and reported to be 85% effective. Even though the vaccine is drinkable, I have witnessed the difficulty of coaxing two, three, and four-year olds to swallow any medication. Imagine if 10% of all children who receive the vaccine spit it out or spit it up. What then?
Also, the vaccine requires two doses. How will the vaccination campaign ensure compliance through the second dose?
On another note, I was surprised by an opinion expressed in the article. Jon Andrus, the deputy director of the Pan-American Health Organization said he does not expect the vaccination program in Haiti to have a substantial effect on the health of Haitians but is nonetheless interested as its administration will provide further data on the vaccine's efficacy. I understand his interest in research, but should PAHO not focus energy and resources on finding a way to have a major public health impact on Cholera in Haiti rather than acquiescing to inadequacy and shooting to gather data instead? Other authorities, including the vaccination program minister agree that any vaccination should be carried out on a large enough scale to have an impact or not be carried out at all.
Here is the article:
http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110118/full/469273a.html
Here is some information about the vaccine:
http://www.crucell.com/Products/Dukoral
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