Use of Oral Cholera Vaccine in Haiti: A Rural Demonstration Project

• DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.13-0183
• Publication Date: 2013-10-09T02:18:18Z
• Authors: Louise C. Ivers; Jessica E. Teng; Jonathan Lascher; Max Raymond; Jonathan Weigel; Nadia Victor; J. Gregory Jerome; Isabelle J. Hilaire; Charles P. Almazor; Ralph Ternier; Jean Cadet; Jeannot Francois; Florence D. Guill...; Paul E. Farmer
• Keywords: Cholera vaccine; Cholera

A cholera epidemic has claimed the lives of more than 8,000 Haitians and sickened 650,000 since outbreak began in October 2010. Early intervention focused on case-finding, treatment, water sanitation interventions for prevention transmission. Use oral vaccine (OCV) as part a complementary set control activities was considered but initially rejected by policymakers. In December 2011, Minister Health Haiti called demonstration acceptability feasibility use OCV urban rural Haiti. This paper describes collaborative activity that offered to one region Artibonite Department addition other ongoing treatment measures. Despite logistics cold chain challenges, 45,417 persons were successfully vaccinated with region, 90.8% these completed their second dose.