WHO approves third cholera vaccine producer
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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)
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.
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