Transparency urged to raise COVID-19 vaccine uptake

Speed read ‘Vaccine hesitancy’ must be tackled to meet 70 per cent COVID-19 immunisation target Transparent data, surveillance of ill-effects recommended to improve trust In low-income countries, 85% of people have had no COVID-19 vaccine Issues around vaccine acceptance must be addressed alongside equity of access and logistics if the goal of vaccinating 70 per cent of the world’s population against COVID-19 is to be met, says a report by global health policy experts. Emerging causes of so-called “vaccine hesitancy”, described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines”, should be monitored continually in order to better understand the problem, according to the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP). Referring to the impact of data on blood clots and delays in vaccine delivery in some countries, she told SciDev.Net: “Pharmaceutical companies that did data sharing may require some introspection because there was a lot of confusion caused.”

Medical PPE unfit for women on COVID-19 frontlines

“Women are 90 per cent of nurses and have been the vast majority of healthcare workers in patient facing roles in the pandemic,” the Women in Global Health (WGH) report says. [...]if medical PPE is not fit for women, it is not fit for the majority of the health workforce.” According to the report, PPE of all types is too big for women, including respirators, gloves and gowns. Rosemary Morgan, an associate scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who specialises in gender, intersectionality and health systems research, says inequities in PPE are just part of a bigger need for more gender responsive healthcare systems.

Health body, not trade lawyers, ‘should decide patents access’

Speed read Least-developed countries push for patent waivers for COVID-19 drugs, diagnostics Health body should replace WTO oversight of medical patents, says justice advocate But vaccine manufacturing requires substantial infrastructure, skills development Trade negotiations are dictating access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. In April, the World Health Organization issued a call for expressions of interest in its mRNA technology hub, which aims to expand production capacity in low-and middle-income countries. Quality control The political will needed to ramp up vaccine production in Africa is deepening, according to analysis from consulting firm McKinsey, citing this year’s launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the nascent African Medicines Agency. According to McKinsey, the market for African vaccines could grow from US$1.3 billion today, to between $2.3 billion and $5.4 billion by 2030.

‘Gender inequality’ fuels 1 million midwife shortage

[...]says a report on the global state of midwifery which highlights the limited investment, gender disparities and inequitable access to education that has resulted in gaps in maternal health services – especially in the low-income countries that need them most. Pauline Bakibinga, an associate research scientist at the African Population and Health Research Center, based in Nairobi, Kenya, said: “This is a result of years of limited investments in the health sectors of especially the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which as no surprise have the worst SRMNAH indicators.” In Sub-Saharan Africa, nine million girls will never attend school, compared to six million boys according to UNESCO. [...]governments start to tackle those issues and bring in more gender-positive policies and processes, the barriers will continue.”

The 25 countries that could beat malaria by 2025

Speed read WHO draws list of 25 countries targeting malaria elimination by 2025 Eight countries were certified malaria-free last year despite COVID-19 But disruptions to health services during the pandemic could threaten progress The World Health Organization (WHO) says it has identified 25 countries with the potential to stamp out malaria in the next five years, despite the added burden of COVID-19 and antimalarial drug resistance. “No matter what burden of malaria you have in your country, there’s a path that can be walked and the end stage of that path will be eliminating malaria,” Pedro Alonso, director, WHO Global Malaria Programme Last year alone eight countries reported zero indigenous cases of malaria, “a remarkable achievement in view of the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic,” the report says. About one third of countries around the world reported disruptions in malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment services during the first quarter of 2021, a survey by the organisation found, while lockdowns and restrictions on movement led to delays in the delivery of insecticide-treated mosquito nets and indoor insecticide spraying campaigns.

Humanity at crossroads, biodiversity report cards warn

Speed read Massive biological diversity losses continuing Evidence supports push for ecosystems, biodiversity protections Urgent action needed to protect food systems, health Developing countries that have been pushing for stronger ecosystems protections have been armed with a cache of evidence, released in a series of biodiversity report cards that warn the world teeters at a crossroads. Biodiversity — the variety of plants, animals and all living things on earth — is being degraded by pollution, overfishing, and increased use of forest land for agriculture, says the report, published every five years by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Christopher Trisos, African Climate and Development Initiative While up to US$90 billion for biodiversity protection was available in the past decade via national governments and development assistance, biodiversity finance needs are “conservatively estimated in the hundreds of billions of dollars”, says the outlook. [...]these resources are swamped by support for activities harmful to biodiversity,” the report says.