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Two global pharmaceutical firms - Hilleman Laboratories and Gotovax AB - Tuesday joined hands to develop affordable oral cholera vaccine. 'Our partnership with Gotovax AB is carefully aligned to Hilleman Laboratories' core philosophy of addressing unmet health needs of the underprivileged by developing accessible and innovative vaccines which are affordable,' Hilleman Laboratories' chief executive officer Davinder Gill said. (Read: Wash hands the right way; prevent diseases like cholera, typhoid and gastroenteritis)
Hilleman Laboratories is a Merck & Co and UK-based Wellcome Trust joint venture while Gotovax AB is a bio-pharmaceutical firm. 'There is an urgent need for highly effective and affordable Cholera vaccines both for outbreaks as well as mass vaccination campaigns. 'Cholera is endemic in over 50 countries with estimated mortality of 100,000-120,000 deaths each year and a morbidity of 3.8-4.4 million annual cases attributed to this disease,' he added. (Read: How effective is the cholera vaccine?)
What is cholera?
Cholera is an acute infectious disease caused by Vibrio cholerae bacteria. The disease is transmitted through contaminated water and food. When a patient's stool containing the bacteria is not properly disposed, it leads to contamination of common water bodies. Due to open defecation, various sources of water get contaminated.
Toxins produced Vibrio cholerae bacteria lead to painless, watery diarrhoea also called 'rice water stools' because of its appearance. The disease may also be associated with vomiting. Rapid loss of fluids from the body cause symptoms of mild fever, body ache, abdominal pain and cramps, lethargy and fatigue, excessive thirst, headaches, loss of elasticity of the skin, etc. The disease can ultimately cause death if not treated rapidly.
A blood or stool sample along with the symptoms of the patient helps in diagnosis. Cholera is a self-limiting condition. But the biggest risk is the possibility of the patient getting dehydrated which can lead to multi-organ failure, coma and even death. Main aim of treatment is to replace the fluid lost using oral re-hydration solutions. Depending on the severity of the condition a patient might need to be rehydrated intravenously. Antibiotics may be prescribed in patients with severe dehydration. Scientists have now figured out that cholera bugs invade our guts with the help of sialic acid, a sugar, present on the gut cells surface. The discovery can potentially pave the way for more effective treatments against the bug. Read more about Cholera: Symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention
With inputs from IANS
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