The event happened in
Kigali, the capital of Rwanda recently, at the inaugural Africa Health Forum.
The launch followed the
decision in January this year, at the
28th African Union Summit in Addis
Ababa, by heads of government from the continent to approve the ADI, which was
earlier drafted and signed by ministers and other top level delegates at the
Ministerial Conference on Immunisation in Africa in February 2016.
The foreword to the
35-page report informs that the “endorsement paves the way for accelerated
implementation of the ADI roadmap to ensure that everyone in Africa, no matter
who they are or where they live, can access the vaccines they need to survive
and thrive.”
While noting that “Africa
has made tremendous gains in increasing access to immunisation in the last 15
years,” progress, it says, “has stagnated, leaving one in five African
children without access to life-saving vaccines.”
The result is that
“vaccine-preventable diseases continue to claim too many lives.”
The roadmap was “developed
with the aim of providing the Member States with a framework to achieve the ADI
commitments.”
There will be a help
though from elsewhere as “multilateral, donors, civil society organisations,
and others have expressed their willingness to support and work with countries
to ensure the successful implementation of the ADI.
Notably, World Health
Organisation (WHO) in the African Region (AFRO) and Eastern Mediterranean
Region (EMRO) and the AU Commission (AUC )have proposed the establishment of a
secretariat to provide technical assistance and help monitor progress toward
achieving the ADI commitments.”
The implementation is
targeted “through three areas of focus: generating and sustaining political
commitment and funding; strengthening technical capacity and overcoming
barriers to access; and closely monitoring progress.”
Besides revealing the
roadmap, the report shed light on efforts of some African states, prior to now,
to develop vaccines.
“Between 2012 and 2016, 23
African countries had registered vaccine clinical trials. In many of these
countries, multiple trials were conducted. For example, 16 of these countries
registered a total of 38 vaccine clinical trials between 2015 and 2016. Only
two national regulatory authorities in Africa (that is Egypt and Senegal) are
recognised by WHO as applying stringent standards for quality, safety, and
efficacy.
This recognition is
required in order for countries to manufacture prequalified vaccines for
international markets, including UNICEF and Gavi purchase,” it says.
