Dr. Sack Faculty Headshot, Photo: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Previous research has shown the safety and immunogenicity of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) at elevated temperatures in vaccinated individuals. These findings suggest that hard to reach populations with endemic cholera have the ability to be vaccinated with limited cold chain capacity because larger doses of the vaccine can be transported without the constraints of being transported with heavy volumes of ice-packs. Listen to the audio below or read the transcripts to hear Dr. Sack share further insight into the vaccine cold chain and challenges of maintaining the vaccine at elevated temperatures.

Dr. Sack Faculty Headshot, Photo: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Cholera persists as an important public health problem in more than one-third of the world’s countries and is endemic in approximately 69 countries. A cholera outbreak can be extremely dangerous and can cause outbreaks affecting thousands within just a few days from the first case of infection. However, the global burden of cholera is not precisely known. The lack of accurate reporting is due to limited capacity for disease surveillance in cholera-affected countries, as well as social, political, and economic disincentives for reporting cholera. Listen to the audio or read the transcripts below to hear Dr. Sack expand on cholera hotspots and issues regarding cholera surveillance.

Dr. Sack Faculty Headshot, Photo: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Oral cholera vaccine (OCV) can decrease the severity of a cholera outbreak, reduce rates of disease in endemic settings, and prevent cholera during humanitarian crises and emergencies. Listen to the conversation or read the transcripts below to hear Dr. David Sack, M.D., the Director of the Delivering Oral Vaccine Effectively (DOVE) project and professor of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, discuss the history of OCV and the potential for a single dose vaccine.