South Africa moves closer to producing its first locally made cholera vaccine

Cholera continues to kill thousands across Africa annually, particularly in communities lacking clean water and sanitation, despite being a preventable waterborne disease. South Africa's BioVac Institute is developing an oral cholera vaccine that, once approved, would be the first end-to-end African-produced cholera vaccine in over 50 years. Global cholera vaccine supply has doubled from 35 million doses in 2022 to 70 million in 2023, yet experts emphasise vaccination alone cannot stop cholera without coordinated efforts including access to clean water, sanitation facilities and healthcare. Africa currently produces less than 1 per cent of vaccines used on the continent, with the African CDC aiming to increase this to 60 per cent by 2040. Al Jazeera's Fahmida Miller reports from Cape Town, South Africa. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on X: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile #SouthAfrica #CholeraVaccine #SouthAfricaBioVacInstitute #VaccineDevelopment #PublicHealth #CholeraOutbreak #AfricanInnovation #MedicalBreakthrough #HealthSecurity #BiotechAfrica #DiseasePrevention