WHO approves third cholera vaccine producer

In this photo from Nov. 8, 2010, a woman suffering from cholera symptoms is carried by a volunteer at the hospital in Archaie, Haiti. (AP Photo)

GENEVA – A third producer of oral cholera vaccine has been approved that is expected to provide 3 million doses in 2016, the World Health Organization said on Friday, doubling the world's stockpile against a disease that can kill within hours.

EuBiologics, a South Korea-based producer, joins Shantha Biotechnics of Sanofi Pasteur as a pre-qualified supplier, WHO expert Stephen Martin told a news briefing. The third producer, which currently does not have doses in the stockpile, is Sweden's Crucell, he said.

"It has future potential in the next 3-4 years for a much greater increase in vaccine production," he said. A vaccine campaign will begin in Haiti this month, targeting some 240,000 people, he added.