Dear subscriber, this is a prototype. Please help us with feedback and tips. Just press reply.
Bharat Biotech and GSK have announced a phased reduction in the price of the RTS,S malaria vaccine to below $5 by 2028. The drop of more than 50% is driven by improved manufacturing, expanded production and minimal profit margins. The phased price cut starts immediately and will be completed within three years.
With support from Gavi, the vaccine group, the RTS,S vaccine will be rolled out to 12 African countries by the end of 2025. They are Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Cameroon, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to the World Bank, malaria costs Africa $12 billion in lost GDP per year. Lower vaccine prices could alleviate this burden by lowering disease rates.
Our take: Cheaper vaccines signal expanded malaria protection for Africans and lower healthcare costs across the continent…Read more (2 min)
Changing weather is projected to increase malaria cases and deaths in Africa. Between 2030 and 2049, an estimated 554,000 additional malaria deaths in Africa will be due to climate-related impacts, mainly driven by extreme weather events. These events are expected to account for 92 percent of the excess deaths.
In a published interview, the World Health Organization warns, “Climate change is not good for malaria. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns and more frequent extreme weather events are already expanding malaria zones and seasons, while disrupting health systems in Africa.”
Although current malaria control tools can reduce the overall toll, their effectiveness may drop by up to 17 percent due to climate effects. By mid-century, 75 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s population,1.3 billion people, will live in areas where eradication becomes more difficult.
Read the full Q&A here…Read more (2 min)
African countries have launched a new digital micro-planning portal to fast-track the elimination of neglected tropical diseases by 2030. The digital platform was co-developed by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention with input from member states, the World Health Organization and the END Fund.
The platform will monitor resource utilisation, support domestic resource mobilisation and advocate for sustainable health financing for six high-burden diseases in each country.
Climate change may alter the distribution and transmission of neglected tropical diseases in Africa, exposing new regions and populations. This makes the digital planning hub essential for timely and targeted responses.
Our take: Without binding national commitments to integrate data into routine policy and health budgets, the platform could remain underused…Read more (2 min)
____________________
The International Pharmaceutical Students’ Federation African Regional Office and the Arab Africa Council for Awareness sign a partnership at Africa Health ExCon 2025 in Cairo to advance public health awareness campaigns across Africa
Events
🗓️ Join the International Conference on Medical Ethics in Kenya (July 12)
🗓️ Attend the Africa Health Business Symposium in Nigeria (July 16)
🗓️ Participate in the World Health Expo in Kenya (October 6)
Jobs
🧑⚕️ Apply to be the Senior Associate, Health Ecosystems at ALU (Rwanda)
🧑⚕️ Join the International Medical Corps as an Assistant Nurse (Cameroon)
🧑⚕️ Become the Patient Services Coordinator at Sigma Consulting Group (Nigeria)
🧑⚕️ Be the next Nutrition Specialist at UNICEF (Burundi)
Various
💉 Fiocruz and Africa CDC agree to expand cooperation in health
💰 Chinese healthcare firms seek expansion at Egypt medical expo
💰 WHO warns of a health financing emergency in Africa
Seen on LinkedIn
Githinji Gitahi, the Chief Executive Officer at Amref Health Africa, says, “We need productive health systems that build the health of communities, not just consumptive ones that focus on treating disease.”
____________________