Cholera control in endemic regions of Africa: assessing mass preventative OCV campaigns impacts and strategies

Cholera remains an important public health issue worldwide. Although OCV is recommended for use in cholera preventative control actions, much remains unknown on the vaccine performances and most appropriate vaccination strategies. This project proposes to answer some of these knowledge gaps by assessing the strategies and impact of preventative OCV mass campaigns in different cholera hotspots in the DRC. The specific objectives include advanced estimations of vaccine effectiveness, by age and under different vaccination regimen, reviewing re-vaccination delays, and assessing factors influencing strategies’ success such as population movements and access to care. It will be conducted in two sites in DRC (Goma and Bukama), where Epicentre has long been engaged in cholera research, and comprises several activities: continued surveillance and confirmation of suspect cholera cases; an innovative case-cohort design for vaccine effectiveness calculations; regular surveys in both sites (including vaccine coverage, population movements, mortality and access to care assessments); and qualitative assessments on care and vaccination perceptions. Our meaningful collaboration with DRC authorities and laboratories, deep knowledge of study sites, and strong field implementation setup will be strengths to implement this study with low risk and high probability of success.