A thread: Why Africa needs ownership of its health security 👇🏾
Despite @AfricaCDC recording 10000 monkeypox cases & 600 deaths in 2 yrs (20/21), @WHO stockpiled vaccines were only mobilised when monkeypox was identified in far fewer cases and no deaths in rich countries in 2022
Despite @AfricaCDC recording 10000 monkeypox cases & 600 deaths in 2 yrs (20/21), @WHO stockpiled vaccines were only mobilised when monkeypox was identified in far fewer cases and no deaths in rich countries in 2022
The 1400 cases & 66 deaths in Africa in this chart are only for 2022! It’s only after going beyond Africa that stockpiled vaccines are being released & a Public Health Emergency being considered - note no death has been recorded outside Africa yet - we pray none occurs!
The continent has been containing Monkeypox since 1970, Are International Health Regulations (IHR) really fit-for-purpose for Africa? Africa needs its own instruments for emergency response at @AfricaCDC aligned and not contradictory to @WHO and the #IHR but supportive
The resources to slow the disease's spread have long been available, just not to the Africans who have dealt with it since 1970
It’s true that many diseases only attract significant money and interest after infecting people from High Income Countries.
It’s true that many diseases only attract significant money and interest after infecting people from High Income Countries.
WHO has 31m doses of smallpox vaccines (effective against Monkeypox), mostly kept in donor countries & intended as rapid response to any re-emergence of the disease, which was declared eradicated in 1980. Doses have never been released for any monkeypox outbreaks in Africa
This situation is similar to stockpiles of Ebola doses which are held while Ebola continues to threaten unvaccinated health workers and volunteers in African countries like Uganda & DR Congo - These countries are begging for their release to vaccinate frontline Ebola responders
No one should challenge the Autonomy of @AfricaCDC and it’s own authority to manage continental health threats - in fact, everyone should be supportive. If Africa had the means to manage Monkeypox, the world wouldn’t be worried now!
A strong independent mandated and resourced @AfricaCDC and manufacturing of health commodities in Africa is not for the benefit of Africa but the benefit of the world 🌎
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