All of us are now thinking about the Covid-19 epidemic. So at this time it is natural to forget about another long-running epidemic in the world, cholera. Over the last 200 years, millions of people have died of severe diarrhea in areas without access to safe water and sanitation. The seventh cholera epidemic is currently underway. It started in 1971. It extends from South Asia to Africa and America. Every year, more than 4 million people are infected with the cholera epidemic worldwide and more than 130,000 people die.
The oral vaccine is affordable, effective and safe. It has proven to be a ‘game changer’ in the fight against this often forgotten disease. According to the World Health Organization, global cholera infections have dropped by 60 percent in 2016 due to the recent expansion of the cholera vaccination program. However, in 2019, the cholera outbreak increased again, but the total death rate decreased by 36 percent.
Ferdousi Qadri, an immunologist and infectious disease researcher in Bangladesh, has done this groundbreaking work for the rest of his life. He is one of the few people who have worked with affordable vaccines to protect people from the cholera epidemic for 25 years.
Several vaccines for cholera have been available since the late nineteenth century. However, their prices were higher and supply was lower. The cholera vaccine, available even in the early twentieth century, was used only by travelers to rich countries. But it was not enough to run a vaccination program for people from poor communities at risk of the disease.
In 2011. Qadri and his research team at the International Center for Diarrhea Research Bangladesh (ICDDRB) conducted a study on the feasibility of a new and more affordable oral cholera vaccine 'chain'. Our foundation was a partner in that study. Studies have shown that affordable vaccines can be an effective tool in preventing the spread of cholera in poor and urban environments. The vaccine protects more than 50 percent of the population against cholera.
Helps to bring a complete change in thinking about how the world can deal with cholera. Qadri's research. "If you have good water, sanitation, education, good housing, you won't have cholera," he said. But you have to make arrangements to stop this misery until all the arrangements are made. And in that case, vaccination is the only solution. '
To be sure, access to potable water and sanitation is still crucial for long-term cholera control. In the nineteenth century, cholera spread from India to the rest of the world. By investing heavily in water and sanitation, the United States and Europe have brought cholera under control. Work is still underway to improve potable water and sanitation in low-income countries. But improving infrastructure is costly and time consuming. The cholera vaccination program, on the other hand, serves as an important adjunct to immediate life-saving treatment.
The World Health Organization helped stockpile vaccines in 2013 to prevent cholera outbreaks. Since then, 80 million doses of vaccine have been provided worldwide. In addition to the chain, another affordable cholera vaccine, Uvicol, is now available. The Swiss-based organization, known as the Vaccine Alliance, is cooperating with countries most affected by Gavi vaccination. However, this preventive approach may become more difficult in the coming years. Issues such as climate change, urbanization and population growth can create the ideal environment for the spread of cholera.
Still progress is being made. About 1 million Rohingyas came to Bangladesh from Myanmar in 2016. The Rohingya in the densely populated camps raised concerns about the cholera epidemic. However, together with the government said. The immunization program that Qadri has run has helped reduce the prevalence of cholera. Qadri said, "If the vaccination program had not been carried out, the situation there could have been very bad. We have been able to prevent a huge epidemic as well as prevent death. '
Such success provides new hope in the fight against cholera. Fifty organizations are working together on a global task force led by the World Health Organization. The task force aims to reduce cholera deaths to below 90 percent by 2030 and to eradicate cholera from 20 countries.
Dr. thanks to Qadri's pioneering work, the world is now moving towards this goal and there may be a day when diseases like cholera can really be forgotten.
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