AFRICA – Medical experts and leaders Africa have resolved to establish a local vaccine manufacturing plant to fight future pandemics.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in partnership with Africa Center for Disease Control (Africa CDC) has mapped out six countries for vaccine manufacture.

The countries identified include Rwanda, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Algeria. South Africa is already manufacturing vaccines.

The manufacture of the vaccines will enable Africa to be self-sufficient and fight diseases, instead of depending on donor supplies.

The stress of sourcing vaccines and medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic revealed major gaps in Africa’s healthcare system.

Whereas developed countries revamped vaccinations to create herd immunity, African and other low-income countries struggled to attain 15 per cent, single jab vaccination.

Shortage in supply of the vaccines was also coupled with vaccine nationalism, an issue that contributed to deaths, and mutation of the Covid-19 virus.

A number of low-income countries were supplied with vaccines, with low shelf-life.

Africa is highly dependent on donors, through Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (Covax) facility. Supply of the doses was however halted following a surge of infections in India.

However, vaccine supply inequity will be a thing of the past with the establishment of vaccine plants in Africa.

WHO to work with Africa Medicines Agency

WHO is working towards improving regulatory capacities for the countries, through Africa Medicines Agency, which was established last year.

The role of the agency is to harmonise the regulatory system for medical products in the African continent and enable smooth approval processes and improve pharmaceutical production.

Dr Adelheid Onyango, WHO Director of Universal Health Coverage, in Africa has said the establishment of manufacturing plants will also guarantee a fight against future pandemics.

“WHO is looking at the manufacturing capacity of the continent, and several working institutions to improve regulatory capacities,” said Dr Onyango.

50 per cent fully vaccinated in Africa

Data by Africa CDC reveals that a total of 973 million doses were administered in Africa, with only 50 per cent of the population fully vaccinated, against WHO’s target of 70 per cent.

In Kenya, 23 million people were vaccinated, against 27 million targets who were to be vaccinated by June 2022.

Africa CDC also has plans of establishing diagnostic laboratories and therapeutic services.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa said counties should revamp investment in health, adding that it is a key determinant of socio-economic development for the continent.

During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, health systems across the globe were strained, schools closed, and travel was restricted. There were also adverse effects on the economy as most businesses were shut down.

Dr Githinji Gitahi, Group CEO, Amref Health Africa, said the continent should strengthen community health systems in order to fight diseases.

He said it is worrying that in Africa, the health system has been set up as “a medical care treatment system”.

The resolutions come at a time the general population in Kenya has extremely relaxed the prevention measures, even as the World Health Organisation (WHO) reviewed guidelines for averting the pandemic, following the spread of the disease, and a new strain of the virus.

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