Heads of state at African Union summit approve universal immunisation push as new Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is announced

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

In a double move hailed as a milestone for public health, African leaders have launched an agency to tackle global threats such as Ebola and pledged to make immunisation available throughout the continent by 2020.

Under the twin commitments, African heads of state will establish regional health centres around the continent, increase funding for immunisation, improve supply chains and delivery, and prioritise vaccines as part of broader efforts to strengthen health systems.



At the heart of the new health push will be the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, which will help countries across the continent to deal with major health emergencies by establishing systems for early warning and response surveillance. Based in Addis Ababa, the new organisation will liaise with regional centres in Zambia, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt.

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Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) regional director for Africa, said the announcements, made on Tuesday at the African Union summit in Addis Ababa, demonstrated a strong commitment by African leaders to “save lives across the continent”.



“This is a very important milestone,” said Moeti. “We are extremely excited to have got here with the immunisation declaration. It’s something we worked on for quite a few months with a range of partners, and it includes commitments with heads of state and partners in mobilising finances for the vaccines.

“It shows leaders reiterating their commitments to saving the lives of children across the continent, and contributing their own funding, as they transition into middle-income states.”

One in five children in Africa lacks access to even the most basic immunisations, while conflict states have experienced a resurgence of diseases such as polio

Though regional access to immunisation has increased over the past 15 years, Africa has fallen behind on meeting global targets. Hot climates, intermittent electricity, supply shortages and unreliable storage facilities mean vaccines are notoriously hard to deliver safely, preventing the most needy from accessing life-saving medicines.

“We know that universal access to immunisation is achievable,” said Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the outgoing African Union Commission chairperson. “The Addis declaration on immunisation is a historic pledge. With political support at the highest levels, we are closer than ever to ensuring that all children in Africa have an equal shot at a healthy and productive life.”

Fewer than 20 African countries fund more than 50% of their national immunisation programmes. This is likely to change, however, when critical funding runs out for programmes such as the global polio eradication initiative – which has already reduced polio by 99% – and African nations approaching middle-income status cease to be eligible for support from Gavi, the global vaccine alliance.

Immunisation is one of the smartest investments a country can make in its future Yifru Berhan Mitke, Ethiopian health minister

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, chairperson of Gavi, said Tuesday’s pledges demonstrated outstanding leadership from Africa’s heads of state.

“We must now ensure that the commitments translate into sustainable financing for immunisation,” she said.



Finance ministers are expected to collaborate closely with WHO offices in the African and eastern Mediterranean regions, as well as the African Union Commission and immunisation partners.

“I’m very much hoping that the heads of state will hold their ministers of health and partners like us to account as well,” said Moeti.

“We expect them to improve domestic allocation [for funding] and to take interest in how this is evolving, and we expect to help them generate data with [UN children’s agency] Unicef and other partners.”

Ethiopia, where the under-five mortality rate is among the highest in the world, has made substantial investments in its healthcare system (pdf) since 2010 with the help of international donors such as Gavi. A total of 16,000 new health centres have been built, while 2,000 battery-free solar refrigerators have been utilised for vaccine storage. Since 2010, when investments began, immunisation rates have risen from 61% to 86% (as of 2015).

“Immunisation is one of the smartest investments a country can make in its future,” said Yifru Berhan Mitke, Ethiopia’s minister of health. “When our children are healthy, our families, communities and countries thrive.”



Innovations in cold-chain technology, such as water-chilled coolboxes that keep vaccines cold for up to a month, will help countries access remote areas where immunisation rates are paltry, said Moeti.

“We want to target the children who are not currently being reached by immunisation services and are hoping to get over this plateau and reach children in remote areas,” she said.

Moeti added that the particular functions of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention and the regional centres remain to be worked out. Partners in the project include the US, EU and China. The WHO will serve as a technical advisor.

