The administration of the vaccine to adults confers additional indirect protection (herd immunity) to children. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends both preventive and reactive use of the vaccine, making the following key statements:
WHO recommends that current available cholera vaccines be used as complements to traditional control and preventive measures in areas where the disease is endemic and should be considered in areas at risk for outbreaks. Vaccination should not disrupt the provision of other high priority health interventions to control or prevent cholera outbreaks.... Reactive vaccination might be considered in view of limiting the extent of large prolonged outbreaks, provided the local infrastructure allows it, and an in-depth analysis of past cholera data and identification of a defined target area have been performed. The WHO as of late 2013 established a revolving stockpile of two million OCV doses. The supply is increasing to six million as a South Korean companies has gone into production (2016), the old production not being able to handle WHO demand in Haiti and Sudan for 2015, nor prior years. GAVI Alliance donated $115 million to help pay for expansions. Oral
The oral vaccines are generally of two forms: inactivated and attenuated. Inactivated oral vaccines provide protection in 52 percent of cases the first year following vaccination and in 62 percent of cases the second year. Two variants of the inactivated oral vaccine currently are in use: WC-rBS and BivWC.
Cholera vaccines are vaccines that are effective at preventing cholera. For the first six months after vaccination they provide about 85 percent protection, which decreases to 50 percent or 62 percent during the first year. After two years the level of protection decreases to less than 50 percent. When enough of the population is immunized, it may protect those who have not been immunized (known as herd immunity).The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of cholera vaccines in combination with other measures among those at high risk. With the oral vaccine, two or three doses are typically recommended. The duration of protection is two years in adults and six months in children aged 2–5 years. A single dose vaccine is available for those traveling to an area where cholera is common. In 2010, in some countries an injectable cholera vaccine was available.The available types of oral vaccine are generally safe. Mild abdominal pain or diarrhea may occur. They are safe in pregnancy and in those with poor immune function. They are licensed for use in more than 60 countries. In countries where the disease is common, the vaccine appears to be cost effective.The first vaccines used against cholera were developed in the late 1800s. They were the first widely used vaccine that was made in a laboratory. Oral vaccines were first introduced in the 1990s. It is on the World Health Organizations List of Essential Medicines.