Chinese scientists have successfully developed a new kind of oral vaccine for preventing cholera, which has been proved to be more effective than other vaccines.

The researchers say the vaccine has been proved to be immunogenic in 85 percent of those inoculated, while traditional intravenous vaccines work in less than 50 percent of cases.

The World Health Organization has praised the vaccine and says that it might be using to prevent the spread of cholera among humans after serious natural disasters.

Cholera is an acute bacterial infection of the intestinal tract and patients often die if they don't receive medical treatment immediately.

(CRI January 17, 2005)