New vaccine announced to effectively prevent cholera.

On July 8, a group of scientists announced that a low-cost oral vaccine called Shanchol provides "significant" protection against cholera after being tested in Bangladesh, where thousands die each year from the disease.

The study was published in the July 8th issue of the British scientific journal The Lancet.

Burundi refugees suffering from cholera are treated in Kagunga, Tanzania on May 21. (Source: AFP/VNA)

The research team conducted trials of the Shanchol vaccine on nearly 270,000 adults and children in the Mirpur slums of Dhaka, Bangladesh, over a period of two years. More than 19,000 of these individuals were assigned to receive two doses of the Shanchol vaccine, administered 14 days apart.

Specifically, about 50% of those in this group were also required to participate in a home hygiene program by regularly washing their hands and using treated water. Meanwhile, the remaining group, consisting of about 80,000 people, did not receive the vaccine.

Comparing the results after two years of research, scientists reported that those who received the Shanchol vaccine had a 37% lower risk of contracting cholera compared to the unvaccinated group, while the risk of infection was reduced by up to 45% in those who both received the vaccine and practiced good personal hygiene.

The research team also confirmed that the vaccine caused no negative side effects during the trial and yielded immediate results in the outbreak area.

The Shanchol vaccine is very inexpensive, costing $3.70 for two doses – only about one-third the price of the currently licensed Dukoral cholera vaccine.

Cholera is a dangerous disease with a high mortality rate, especially among children, with symptoms such as intestinal infection, vomiting, diarrhea, and severe dehydration. If left untreated, it can lead to rapid death.

According to experts, unsanitary environments, especially heavily polluted drinking water sources, are the main causes of cholera, and this is also the reason why the likelihood of cholera outbreaks is very high.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 3-5 million people worldwide are infected each year, and an estimated 100,000-120,000 people die from the disease.

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