A group of global health experts have united to pressure the World Health Organisation (WHO) into including a process of mass vaccination into its management strategy for cholera outbreaks in Africa as the deadly disease spreads.

Emeritus Professor at the University of Melbourne, Sir Gustav Nossal, has co-authored a paper which highlights the limitations of current strategies for controlling cholera outbreaks. This paper comes in the wake of 3467 deaths from the disease during its recent outbreak in Zimbabwe between August 2008 and February 2009.

The recommendations will be published in the May 15 edition of the journal Science.

While an internationally licensed and available cholera vaccine exists, the WHO has been reluctant to consider it as a legitimate strategy to contain cholera in Zimbabwe “due to its two-dose regimen, short shelf life, high cost and need for cold chain distribution”.

Sir Gustav says the time has come for the WHO to change its mind on this and “pull out all stops to stop the spread of this deadly disease”.

“We now have a cholera vaccine - while not perfect, is moderately efficacious - and with a threat as dire as this, we have to pull out all stops,” he says.

“We believe no expense should be spared to make this vaccine available in Zimbabwe under the current difficult circumstances.”

The group of leading health experts concluded in their paper that while there are logistical complexities to administering a two-dose regimen in a setting as desperate and chaotic as Zimbabwe, the delivery of this vaccine has been shown to be feasible in three WHO-sponsored community demonstration projects in rural and urban sub-Saharan Africa.

The authors also acknowledge that current strategies such as;  the Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), the encouraging of hand washing, and the provision of temporary safe water and adequate sanitation as emergency measures are effective, however the rising cases and deaths suggest limitations.

Sir Gustav says he hopes this paper will change the policy of WHO on the administration and delivery of cholera vaccinations in order to stop the spread of this preventable disease across the continent.