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Happy World Immunization Week! This week, we assess whether the world is getting its sh*t together to safeguard everyone, everywhere against communicable diseases and {whispers} the next pandemic. Read on to get up-to-speed in 5 minutes. |
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Top newsAre we ready for it? Getting ready for the next pandemic isn’t going well. Fresh off a pandemic that killed as many as 27 million people and cost trillions of dollars, global attention has shifted elsewhere. So finalising the first-ever legally binding global pandemic agreement by the May 2024 deadline is hitting obstacles. Next week, WHO member states are resuming the ninth meeting on the topic. Many countries in the Global South are (understandably) wary of an international system and a pharmaceutical industry that perpetuated vaccine apartheid during the COVID-19 pandemic. And they’re hesitant to share samples and genetic data without assurances that it will result in shared drugs and therapeutics. Fair point. Broken promises: Moderna paused plans to build a vaccine manufacturing facility in Kenya, despite its stated commitment to build vaccine manufacturing in Africa. The Africa CDC rightfully clapped back: it “only serves to perpetuate the inequity” of the COVID-19 response. Meanwhile, Gavi teamed up with the Africa CDC to support regional diversification of vaccine manufacturing. The African Vaccine Manufacturing Accelerator, which will provide financial incentives to help manufacturers in Africa scale up vaccine production, launches in June 2024. The African Union’s goal is for 60% of vaccines, therapeutics, and other medical products to be produced in Africa by 2040. A cow and a bird walk into a bar: Cattle and cows milk across the United States tested positive for an avian influenza virus. One person (thus far) has been infected. This viral jump from bird-to-mammal is a red flag. The more chances a virus has to replicate — in animals or humans — the greater the chance it could mutate to spread more easily amongst humans. Although human transmission is rare (for now), the mortality rate in the 889 known cases since 2003 is above 50%. 👀 But vaccines could save the day (again): the viral strain circulating in the US is closely related to two vaccine candidates, and the WHO maintains a list of candidate vaccines that could be mass-produced against H5N1 influenza viruses if needed. Shortchanged: Over 10 million teenage girls in African countries won’t be vaccinated as planned against HPV, the human papillomavirus, because of a production issue. That’s one-third of the HPV doses that vaccine manufacturer Merck was meant to deliver to the region in 2024. Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Mozambique, and Sierra Leone won’t get any this year. Thankfully, some rollouts will continue on schedule – like in Tanzania, where 5 million girls are scheduled to be vaccinated this week.
Best investment: Vaccination HALVED infant mortality across Africa in the past 50 years, according to new data. This adds to the pile of evidence that vaccines are one of the most impactful and cost-effective health interventions in history. Much of this progress is thanks to Gavi, an alliance of immunisation partners that helps countries deliver vaccines against diseases like cervical cancer and measles and respond to outbreaks of diseases like Ebola and cholera. Heads up to donors looking to make smart investments: Gavi launches its funding replenishment on 20 June.
🚨Alarm bells🚨: Global health experts are sounding the alarm over the perilous state of global health finance. 28 lower-income countries are spending less on health than they did before the pandemic. And donor funding is on the decline in real terms because one-quarter of all official aid is going to Ukraine and to support refugees in donor countries, according to ONE’s new analysis. In turn, lower-income countries’ governments have to make tough decisions about where to allocate limited resources. In those countries, individuals’ out-of-pocket financing is the largest source of health financing, exceeding external aid and domestic government spending. Apropos of nothing, global military expenditure hit a record high US$2.4 billion last year. The main sources of health spending From the ONE Team
The numbers
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Quote of the week
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Other news:
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A look ahead29-30 April: IDA for Africa Heads of State, Nairobi, Kenya 1 May: International Workers Day |
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The ONE Campaign’s data.one.org provides cutting edge data and analysis on the economic, political, and social changes impacting Africa. Check it out HERE. |
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