Safety of a killed oral cholera vaccine (Shanchol) in pregnant women in Malawi: an observational cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pregnancy increases the risk of harmful effects from cholera for both mothers and their fetuses. A killed oral cholera vaccine, Shanchol (Shantha Biotechnics, Hydrabad, India), can protect against the disease for up to 5 years. However, cholera vaccination campaigns have often excluded pregnant women because of insufficient safety data for use during pregnancy. We did an observational cohort study to assess the safety of Shanchol during pregnancy.

Methods

This observational cohort study was done in two adjacent districts (Nsanje and Chikwawa) in Malawi. Individuals older than 1 year in Nsanje were offered oral cholera vaccine during a mass vaccination campaign between March 30 and April 30, 2015, but no vaccines were administered in Chikwawa. We enrolled women who

SUBMITTER: Ali M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5406486 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature