JOHANNESBURG — Researchers and scientists in South Africa Clinical trials of the first vaccine developed domestically began on Tuesday.
Oral cholera vaccinedeveloped by Cape Town-based pharmaceutical firm Biovac, is currently undergoing trials to determine its safety in adults, which will be followed by trials in comparison with existing cholera vaccines already on the market.
Depending on the results, the vaccine could be approved and ready for use in Africa by 2028, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said.
The development of the vaccine was hailed as a major milestone in ensuring vaccine access in the country and the rest of the continent.
Motsoaledi said that although South Africa had a relatively low incidence of cholera, many countries in Africa, often hit hard by outbreaks, would benefit greatly. He said the COVID-19 pandemic has shown how vulnerable African countries are to pandemics as they rely on imported vaccines.
South Africa experiences frequent cholera outbreaks due to cross-border movements. Other reasons include a lack of clean water in communities such as Hammanskraal in the capital Pretoria, where the provision of clean water remains a major challenge.
A cholera outbreak in 2023 resulted in 47 deaths and more than 1,400 reported cases, but neighboring countries such as Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe have reported many more cases and deaths.
“When we can research, develop and produce vaccines locally, we reduce our vulnerability to supply chain disruptions, geopolitical pressures, international market competition and the vaccine nationalism that was evident at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Motsoaledi said.
The trials are being carried out in the provinces of Gauteng, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, where cases of cholera have previously been reported.
“This development fills an urgent, life-saving need given the ongoing global vaccine shortage amid recurring cholera outbreaks,” said Biovac CEO Morena Mahoana.
Lerato Maleka, 44, one of the first participants in the clinical trial, said she took part in the study because of water problems in South Africa.
“I didn't have cholera, but we know that sometimes there is not enough water, and in Hammanskraal people were dying of cholera by drinking the water, so I wanted to be safe from that,” Maleka said.
She said that although where she lives in Diepkloof, Soweto, there had never been an outbreak, they often had to boil tap water because it was not clean.
Shadrack Makutu, 37, from Limpopo province, is another participant who previously experienced an outbreak in his village of Bushbuckridge.
“I know people who share water with animals, so I know several people who have been affected by cholera,” Makutu said.
The World Health Organization estimates that cholera affects up to 4 million people worldwide each year, with between 21,000 and 143,000 deaths each year.
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