Maximizing protection from use of oral cholera vaccines in developing country settings An immunological review of oral cholera vaccines

摘要

Vibrio cholerae is a highly transmissible organism that is found in aquatic reservoirs.1 Cholera is a rapidly spreading, severely dehydrating diarrheal disease that represents a global challenge, with over 50 countries considered to be endemic for the disease.2 Cholera outbreaks have become more frequent and prolonged in recent years in endemic areas with recurrent seasonal patterns, as well as non-endemic areas that are initiated by exogenous introduction of V. cholerae following complex emergencies, such as refugee crises or natural disasters (Figure I).3 Recent crises in Pakistan, sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti provide contextual experience to support this idea, in which a sudden disruption results in the collapse of already tenuous water and sanitary facilities.4'6 Estimations project that 1.4 billion people are at risk for cholera worldwide, with half of the resulting deaths being found in children under five years of age.