On the sidelines of the 36th Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, in Addis Ababa, in a statement, the leaders of the AU stated that they aim to “revitalize universal access to immunization for all populations to reduce mortality, morbidity and disability and, consequently, help Member States to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in terms of health, economic and development goals.
A total of 8.4 million children in Africa – among 18 million worldwide – were left out of immunization services in 2021, according to estimates by Unicef and the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the international organization, vaccination for many preventable diseases is, on the African continent, far below the range of 90 to 95% needed to keep Africa free of these diseases.
In the statement to “jump forward the recovery of routine immunization in Africa”, African leaders urge countries to keep immunization at the center of attention as they recover from the covid-19 pandemic and to vaccinate all children who have not yet been protected.
The heads of state also call on various countries to “act quickly” to boost polio eradication efforts and use lessons learned from the polio program to increase routine immunization capacities across the continent.
"Immunization saves lives and is one of the best investments in health that money can buy", defended the WHO regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, quoted in the same statement.
“The covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on immunization efforts in Africa and has made it critical to catch up and get back to normal”, he considered.
The statement also calls on African regional economic communities, health organizations and the African Development Bank to support the initiative.
In addition, it urges manufacturers to improve access to vaccines and asks Unicef and WHO to help countries monitor the evolution of immunization.
For AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Minata Samate Cessouma, “We can end vaccine-preventable diseases and save many more lives. This is essential for achieving healthy and prosperous communities, as per the premise of the AU Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want”.
