Dismay as key cholera vaccine is discontinued

Production of Sanchol vaccine will stop this year. The WHO linked outbreaks in Haiti, Syria, Nigeria, Malawi and Lebanon to climate change, driven by both too much and too little water. Photograph: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters

The manufacturer of one of only two cholera vaccines for use in humanitarian emergencies is to halt production at the end of this year, just as the world faces an “unprecedented” series of deadly outbreaks, the Guardian has learned.

Shantha Biotechnics, a wholly owned Indian subsidiary of the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi, will stop production of its Shanchol vaccine within months and cease supply by the end of 2023, causing alarm among health officials.