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Cholera cases have dramatically increased in the past few years, and vaccines are running low. Following a Haiti cholera outbreak in 2013, the World Health Organization (WHO) created a global stockpile for the cholera vaccine, but despite the large amount of cholera vaccines being produced every day, the stockpile is currently empty. The problem is that all of the vaccines produced daily are taken to treat active cases, so the stockpile remains empty. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, who helps run the stockpile, has reported that as soon as doses come in, they are shipped out to various locations due to the numerous active cases going on during this world outbreak. Lesser-developed countries without widely-available access to the modern sewage and water treatment of today have been the primary ones suffering from these severe outbreaks, such as African countries like Zambia, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Somalia, South Asian countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, and the island of Haiti. Since the cholera vaccine is not given to everyone -- its production is based on the demand for it -- it is hard to predict how many will be needed. In addition to this, the vaccine is produced and sold cheaply in poorer areas, meaning that big manufacturers wouldn't make much money by producing the vaccine because they wouldn't profit as much and it is not a steady stream of revenue. Due to this, only one company in the world produces the cholera vaccine: EuBiologics in South Korea. They are struggling to keep up with the high demand for the cholera vaccine as climate change worsens, causing more and more natural disasters that lead to people drinking unhealthy water. Conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine War and Israel's war on Palestine have also contributed, as well as the regular cases. Another factor is that countries are more willing to report cases. In the past, countries would ignore the number of cholera cases and refuse to report them, but awareness has increased, leading the countries to increase the demand for vaccines. Scientists are working towards solutions to make the vaccine easier to produce, and organizations around the world are trying to resume preventive cholera vaccines, which will create the steady stream of revenue that will attract larger manufacturers for the vaccine.
Fact of the Day: That earthy rain smell that people smell after (or before, in some cases) rain is called petrichor. It gets its distinct sweet smell from the ozone that is pushed down to our area from the upper levels of the atmosphere during a rainstorm.
Quote of the Day: Action and Determination are two habits you must develop at the forefront of all Success. (Machi Block)
Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Germane (adj)- Germane is a formal synonym of relevant that describes something related to a subject in an appropriate way.
In a Sentence: Her comments were not germane to the discussion.
Fact of the day about smell on rain is interesting 👍👍