More hope for vaccine support for poor countries

On June 20, the Global Forum on Vaccine Sovereignty and Innovation opened in Paris (France), with the goal of raising about 11.9 billion USD from governments and organizations to finance vaccination programs in poor countries within 5 years.

Important step forward

A separate $1.2 billion funding plan to boost vaccine production in Africa was announced at the event, which was jointly organized by France, the African Union (AU) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI). The forum, also known as the Vaccine Summit, was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and several African heads of state, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and representatives of vaccine banks and manufacturers.

Vaccination for children in Kenya. Photo: WHO

The forum is expected to launch the Africa Vaccine Accelerator (AVMA). Drawing on lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, the program is a major step towards African sovereignty in the health sector. AVMA will provide funding for regional vaccine production on the continent. In close consultation with African disease control and prevention centres, the program will contribute to the AU’s goal of producing at least 60% of Africa’s vaccine needs by 2040. A separate $1 billion funding plan to boost vaccine production in Africa will also be announced at the event.

The forum will mark the start of GAVI’s vaccine replenishment campaign for 2026-2030. GAVI helps low-income countries procure vaccines to protect their people from deadly diseases. Since 2020, around 1 billion children have been vaccinated under GAVI’s support programme, helping GAVI make significant progress in the fight against infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue and cholera, which are at increased risk of spreading due to climate change.

Fights many diseases

GAVI CEO Sania Nishtar said the organization aims to deliver vaccines faster and in greater numbers to a group of African countries, including expanding the rollout of malaria vaccines, starting in Cameroon this year. At the same time, it aims to resume routine immunization programs such as measles that have been disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic. GAVI wants to reach as many children as possible and protect them against as many diseases as possible in the shortest possible time.

GAVI also plans to expand the alliance’s work in the coming years, including establishing a monkeypox vaccine stockpile. It may also add a dengue vaccine to its program as climate change puts more countries at risk of disease outbreaks. GAVI also plans to set up a $500 million pandemic response fund to act quickly in the event of a major disease outbreak.

According to the British medical journal The Lancet, global vaccination efforts have saved an estimated 154 million lives over the past 50 years, including 101 million newborns. A WHO study also highlighted that thanks to vaccines, smallpox has been eradicated, polio has been virtually eradicated, and with the recent development of vaccines against malaria and cervical cancer, humans are pushing back many diseases.

THANH HANG synthesis

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/them-hy-vong-ho-tro-vaccine-cho-quoc-gia-ngheo-post745572.html