Nature: Make plans to eliminate cholera outbreaks
Anita Zaidi, director of the Enteric and Diarrheal Diseases (EDD) program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“…This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) launches a campaign to eliminate cholera outbreaks by 2030. The plan could move countries beyond ad hoc reactions, to sustainable prevention. … Too many countries act only after a crisis has emerged: then they request vaccine campaigns, set up makeshift cholera clinics, and urgently mobilize supplies. These tactics can quell an outbreak and dampen transmission in the short term, but they don’t stop outbreaks from happening again. … To truly stop cholera outbreaks, countries must do two things: deploy vaccines where cholera is endemic and strengthen the infrastructure that provides clean water and good sanitation. … The success of the WHO’s plan ultimately depends on the commitment of governments worldwide. All governments, whether or not they are directly affected by cholera, must unite and increase their political and financial investment in cholera prevention and control…” (10/3).