Photos: Wikimedia Commons
Pharmaceutical giants and rich nations need to collaborate with African countries to improve access to mpox vaccines, the head of the World Health Organization told Semafor Africa.
An outbreak of the infectious disease struck DR Congo before spreading to neighboring nations such as Burundi, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.
Affected countries have struggled to contain the spread of the disease, which is typically contracted through physical contact and whose symptoms include fever and painful rashes that spread around the body.
“Access to vaccines is a major challenge for African countries, in part due to the available supply and high price,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
“To increase the number of vaccines in African countries, a multi-pronged approach is needed that involves strong collaboration with vaccine manufacturing countries, reduced pricing and in-country preparation to make communities ready for the arrival of vaccines”.
The WHO chief also called for donor nations that stockpiled vaccines to make them available to vulnerable nations ahead of a planned legally binding international agreement that is set to be introduced at the next World Health Assembly on the promotion of health equity “and to protect communities against the risks posed by pathogens”.
— Samuel Getachew in Addis Ababa
