The WHO meeting held in Cairo on 14-16 December 2005 was intended to establish a framework for recommendations on oral cholera vaccine (OCV) use in complex emergencies and natural disasters, as well as in endemic settings. Experience gained over the previous three years from intervention projects in complex emergencies, and from a demonstration project in endemic setting of Beira, Mozambique, provided the basis for discussion of the pertinence of developing assessment tools for cholera outbreaks and for identification of opportunities for - as well as possible constraints and limitations to - OCV use for mass vaccination campaigns. While a pragmatic public health approach was adopted, the scientific bases of different vaccines were also reviewed and updates on recent research were reported. Search keywords: earthquake, disaster.
