Dear subscriber,
We might have believed that Africa’s vaccine problem is a science issue, but it’s really about power and who sets the rules. The continent carries the highest disease burden, but little the control over vaccines meant to stop it.
Treezer Michelle Atieno - Editor
An American government demand that vaccines should no longer contain thimerosal, a preservative, could force a phase out of multi-dose vials which are cost friendly to produce for low and middle-income countries. Multi-dose vials require preservative. Phasing them out will drive up production costs and strain vaccine supplies for Africa.
Western vaccine standards ban certain preservatives, despite decades of research showing no harm.
Multi-dose vials are widely used in African immunisation programmes. They hold 2 to 20 doses to lower costs in production and simplify cold-chain logistics.
Our take: Western vaccine standards are being imposed on systems that lack Western infrastructure. Single-dose formats assume reliable electricity and dense cold chains which are not always available in Africa…Read more (2 min)
African countries are replacing emergency oral cholera vaccinations with multi-year campaigns by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Global Task Force for Cholera Control. Multi-year vaccination plans allow for better demand forecasting to help manufacturers and reduce stockouts during emergencies.
African countries do not routinely administer oral cholera vaccines and instead request doses from a global stockpile in South Korea during emergencies. This means vaccines are deployed after outbreaks begin.
Floods in several parts of Africa currently worsen the spread of cholera and increase the need for vaccines by multiple countries. This puts pressure on the global stockpile and results in delayed preventive campaigns.
Our take: Depending on a global cholera vaccine repository is a serious structural failure for Africa that undermines health sovereignty…Read more (2 min)
The Africa CDC has launched a Central Data Repository (CDR) to consolidate public health data across the continent. The platform integrates surveillance and laboratory information. This enables manufacturers and to forecast demand for medical products more accurately and align production schedules with emerging public health needs.
Fragmented public health data limited manufacturers and suppliers to anticipate demand, leading to overproduction or stock-outs.
The CDR, funded by the Global Fund and supported by the Public Health Informatics Institute, supports more accurate production planning and distribution of medical supplies.
Our take: A central data system is an enabling intervention for local pharma manufacturing but a lot of investment is still needed.…Read more (2 min)
____________________
Source: Gavi
Research finds that early TB treatment before a sepsis diagnosis could save countless lives
Events
🗓️ Attend the 2026 Africa Health Conference (February 21)
🗓️ Participate in World Health Summit in Kenya (April 27)
🗓️ Register for the Africa Health Business in Kenya (April 21)
Jobs
🧑⚕️ Be a Senior Medical Officer at Genesis Specialist Hospital (Nigeria)
🧑⚕️ Apply to be an Epidemiology & Surveillance Officer at FHI360 (Zambia)
🧑⚕️ Join PATH as a Health Information Systems Developer (Ethiopia)
Various
💉 52.8 million people could face acute food insecurity in the Sahel region
💉 Global Fund unlocks $15 million match for community health in Africa
💉 Korea donates 5.5 million to fight malnutrition in Ethiopia
Seen on LinkedIn
David Musinguzi, a Medical Doctor, says, “Health workers are clinicians first, by training, identity and calling. But in today’s realities, they must also be empowered to become entrepreneurs by necessity because governments and economies are struggling to absorb a growing pool of trained health workers.”