Health experts have called for equity in the production and distribution of vaccines amid concern over a worldwide shortage of vaccines in the face of outbreaks in Malawi and 17 other countries around the world.
US-based health-focused non-governmental organisation AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) said on Wednesday there was a “pressing” need for increased efforts to ensure equitable access to lifesaving medicines as cholera sweeps through Malawi and other nations.
The World Health Organisation reported in mid-December that the global cholera vaccine stockpile was “currently empty or extremely low”.
“While we can’t fully stop cholera until countries have improved water, sanitation and hygiene, there must be a concerted global effort as part of a Global Public Health Convention to ensure critical vaccines, like the one for cholera, are stockpiled worldwide to ensure a more proactive response,” AHF Africa bureau chief Penninah Iutung said.
She called on governments of rich nations to allow pharmaceutical companies to “share their know-how and technology to increase vaccine access and the means of local and regional production.”
As of February 18, Malawi had recorded nearly 45,000 cholera cases and close to 1,450 deaths from an outbreak that started in March 2022, the deadliest in its history.
AHF Malawi Country Program Manager Triza Hara welcomed Malawi government’s “End Cholera” campaign launched this month to reduce the fatality rate, increase prevention and raise awareness about the disease, but said more should be done to ensure vaccines are available for all who need them.
“We urge vaccine makers to make their patents available to increase access for low- and middle-income countries, and we’re calling on African leaders to continue working to implement policies and practices that allow us to produce vaccines on the continent.”
Besides Malawi, at least 17 other countries have reported cholera outbreaks, including Mozambique, Zambia and Haiti. In Haiti more than 20,000 cases recorded between September 2022 and January 2023.