RC74 – Vaccination for Better Health in Africa

Submitted by [email protected]on Fri, 30/08/2024 - 11:16

Remarks by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti

Amb Minata Samate Cessouma, the African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development,

Dr Robert Lucien Jean-Claude Kargougou, the Minister of Health and Public Hygiene of Burkina Faso,

Honorable Ministers of Health from across the Region,

Esteemed partners, colleagues, and guests,

It is a profound honor to address you at this crucial side event, "Vaccination for Better Health in Africa: Renewed Promise, Commitment, and Investment."

Your presence shows our commitment to safeguarding our people's future and ensuring every African child's health and strength.

Since its launch in 1974, the Expanded Programme on Immunization has saved over 50 million lives across our continent by preventing childhood morbidity and mortality from vaccine preventable diseases.

These are not just numbers, but countless families spared of losing a child or more to preventable diseases. It also translates into massive savings for our Member States' economies made from the cost of averted illnesses.

The declaration of Africa as free from indigenous wild poliovirus in 2020 is one of the significant achievements of the immunization programme and the result of our collective efforts and steadfast commitment to immunization.

The region has also witnessed a sharp decline in meningitis deaths by up to 39% between 2000 and 2024, while maternal and neonatal tetanus has been eliminated in 43 of the 47 Member States in our region.

Today, many countries have continued to successfully introduce new vaccines, including those for human papillomavirus (or HPV), malaria, typhoid, rotavirus, meningitis, and others, further enhancing protection for our children.

We play a crucial role in advancing the immunization agenda in the African Region as a key player in policy guidance, monitoring and disease surveillance, capacity building, and technical support to our Member States.

With the declaration of the ongoing Mpox outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, we provide guidance and technical support to national immunization technical advisory groups across the region on evidence-informed decision-making regarding vaccine use.

In addition, we are using the African Vaccine Regulatory Forum platform to facilitate joint regulatory review of vaccine product dossiers.

However, we also have challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine immunization services across our region.

The African Region is home to the most unvaccinated children globally - with an estimated 6.7 million children missing crucial vaccinations. This sobering statistic underscores the urgent need for renewed commitment and practical strategies to address this critical public health challenge.

As of 2023, coverage rates for essential vaccines such as the first dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis and measles-containing vaccines remain concerning - only 83% and 70%, respectively.

Only 16 out of 47 countries in our region have achieved the target of 90% coverage for the third dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis containing vaccines. Many children continue to miss out on life-saving vaccinations.

And the growing occurrence of multiple outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases is proof of the remaining gaps in the immunisation work across our Region.

In response to these challenges, I would like to highlight some priorities.

Firstly, it is worth recalling that the Addis Declaration on Immunization - endorsed by the African Heads of State in 2017 - serves as a guiding framework for our collective efforts to enhance vaccination programmes across the continent. The Declaration embodies our renewed commitment to ensure that all children receive the necessary vaccines.

Secondly, we must align our efforts with the Immunization Agenda 2030, which aims to achieve universal access to immunization services by ensuring that every community can access high-quality, affordable, safe, and effective vaccines.

Thirdly, achieving these goals will require substantial investments from national governments and partners. We must prioritize funding for immunization programmes at all levels - allocating resources for vaccine procurement and strengthening healthcare infrastructure, building strong regulatory systems, building thriving ecosystems for research and innovation, training health workers, and implementing community outreach initiatives.

This investment is critical; it will ensure that we can reach every child with life-saving vaccines and build resilient health systems capable of responding to future challenges.

Today's discussions will focus on key themes that require immediate attention.

Firstly, we will focus on the progress made by implementing the 10 Addis Declaration on Immunization commitments, as our Member States share their experiences of strategies to maintain high immunization coverage despite existing challenges and competing priorities.

Secondly, we will review the status of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks in our region and discuss priority outbreak response actions.

To revitalize our immunization efforts, we must work together, strengthening partnerships among governments, health organizations, and communities.

Together, we reaffirm our dedication to building a healthier future for Africa through enhanced immunization efforts.

Thank you.