The Chief Executive Officer of Vaccine Alliance, Gavi, Dr. Sania Nishtar, has announced that cholera vaccines will soon arrive in Nigeria to help curb the deadly disease outbreak.

Nishtar shared the news on her X handle on Thursday, stating, “Encouraged to learn that #Cholera vaccines from the #Gavi-funded global vaccine stockpile will soon arrive in Nigeria to help curb the country’s deadly and ongoing outbreak. We stand ready to work with our partners #UNICEF and #WHO to support Minister #muhammadpate, #Fmohnigeria, and #NCDCgov’s timely efforts to contain this outbreak and protect those at the highest risk.”

She added, “Despite the large number of cholera outbreaks this year, our stockpile is now fully replenished, and production continues at maximum capacity. We hope to keep supporting cholera-affected countries with their control plans. #stopcholera.”

Cholera is a highly contagious disease caused by the ingestion of Vibrio cholerae, found in contaminated water and food. The primary cause in Nigeria has been linked to the consumption of contaminated water and inadequate sanitation, worsened by the rainy season, which leads to flooding and compromised water sources.

On June 27, 2024, Nishtar expressed concern about the cholera outbreak in Nigeria and affirmed Gavi’s readiness to support the country, including providing emergency vaccine doses if needed.

As of July 15, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reported 3,623 suspected cholera cases and 103 deaths across 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The outbreak has affected 187 Local Government Areas, with a case fatality rate of 2.8% since the beginning of the year.

Responding to Nishtar’s post, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, thanked Gavi’s CEO for facilitating the vaccine delivery. He tweeted, “Thanks #SaniaNishtar for facilitating our early access to #gavi-funded #Cholera vaccines. We will deploy the vaccines efficiently and effectively in response to the ongoing outbreak.”

Prof. Pate also praised President Tinubu for his leadership, stating, “Thanks also to President Tinubu #officialABAT for his astute leadership in setting up a multi-sector cabinet committee to support the Emergency Operations Centre led by #NCDCgov to work with our 36 states in a national response to the outbreak. We are seeing early signs of slowing down but we’ll not relent as the situation can reverse. So, the cholera vaccines strengthen our hands.”

The minister further affirmed that the Federal Government is accelerating efforts to improve the water and sanitation situation in the country.