60 immunisation campaigns suspended globally due to COVID-19 —WHO

Director-General, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Adhanom Tedros says the disruption of the world’s health system due to COVID-19 had resulted in 60 immunisation campaigns currently suspended in 50 countries of the world.

Dr Tedros, speaking at the joint meeting of the African Union Ministers of health on “COVID-19 in Africa” said the delay in the measles campaign for more than a year has also caused its serious outbreak as well as potentially resulted in 500,00 excess deaths from HIV/AIDS globally.

The WHO’s DG said although the scale of devastation by COVID-19 in the African continent is less severe than in some other regions, it is critical that African nations are not complacent because the emergency of rapidly spreading variants, premature easing of combined public health and social measures and inequitable distribution of vaccines is having tragic consequences in many continents of the world.

Tedros said in the coming months, African countries cannot rely solely on imported COVID-19 vaccines but build capacity to make its own vaccines and other medical products.

According to him, “the inequitable distribution of vaccines is not just a moral outrage; it is also economical and epidemiologically self-defeating. So far, the volume of the administered COVID-19 vaccine in Africa is 2 per cent of the global total. The gap is very tragic.

Dr Tedros, however, said in months to come, Africa countries should prioritise prevention and treatment of the infection.

According to him, “ public health measures that had been the bedrock of continent’s containment strategy must remain central to the response; strengthen surveillance as well as increase testing and careful contact tracing”

Director, African Centre for Disease Control, Dr John Nkeagasong, said while 95 per cent of African union countries had experienced the second wave of COVID-19, and 77 per cent of these were more severe, 13 countries are currently experiencing the third wave of the pandemic.

He said there is pandemic fatigue in the continent with 56 per cent member states surveyed indicating decreased adherence to wearing of facemasks compared to the last public health survey.

According to him, “Kenya has been able to bend the curve without the extensive spread of vaccine. It shows that with continuous reinforcement of public health measures, we can continue to bend the COVID-19 curve, despite the threat of the virus posses.”

Dr Nkeagasong said as a way forward, Africa should readapt its strategies, look at preventive measures that work and intensify on them and ensure all persons with the infection gets treated.

He urged all African union member-states to continue to engage in vaccine acquisition, enhance public health measures and testing, enhance surveillance and genomic surveillance and treat individuals infected by the virus.

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