Yemen's cholera survivors get oral vaccines in Sanaa
The World Health Organization and Yemeni health officials are offering an oral cholera vaccine in Yemen, but some Yemenis are suspicious of the vaccine.
SANAA, Yemen — When she heard the voice over a speaker outside her home in eastern Sanaa, Fatima Hussein hurried to the nearest health center the morning of April 30. She had been hospitalized with cholera five months ago, she said, and feared the disease.
“I heard the speaker on the taxi, so I am here because I can’t afford to be infected again,” she said.
The announcement was part of a campaign to raise awareness in Sanaa of an oral cholera vaccine (OCV). Local health officials worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF to get the word out, going door to door in the past week. They hoped to convince people to get vaccinated despite residents’ skepticism about the vaccine.
It is reported that the OCV is free of charge and all people Al-Monitor has met with have confirmed as much.
