Medical charity Doctors Without Borders said global
pharmaceutical companies should be taken to task for charging "inflated
vaccine prices" that keep the drugs out of reach of the world's poorest.
File photo
Image by: Thinkstock Images.
Image by: Thinkstock Images.
It noted a dramatic rise in child vaccination rates in Africa - from
57% in 2000 to 80% in 2014 - but said more needed to be done to prevent
the spread of diseases such as measles, rubella and neonatal tetanus,
which have been virtually eradicated in parts of the world but remain
prevalent and deadly in Africa.
"We can and must do more to protect all our children from devastating illnesses - not only because it is our responsibility to ensure healthier futures for our citizens, but also because it is a smart economic decision," said Kesetebirhan Admasu, health minister of Ethiopia, which is hosting a two-day summit on immunisation in Africa starting today.
"For Africa to achieve its full potential and secure a bright future we must unite to make sure that every child on the continent receives the vaccines he needs to survive and thrive," said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's regional director for Africa.
"It is unacceptable that one in five African children lacks access to life-saving vaccines," she said.
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders said global pharmaceutical companies should be taken to task for charging "inflated vaccine prices" that keep the drugs out of reach of the world's poorest.
"If vaccine prices continue to spiral out of control, we will continue to see countries in Africa and around the world faced with difficult decisions about which deadly diseases they can and can't afford to protect their children against," said the charity.
Source- Times
"We can and must do more to protect all our children from devastating illnesses - not only because it is our responsibility to ensure healthier futures for our citizens, but also because it is a smart economic decision," said Kesetebirhan Admasu, health minister of Ethiopia, which is hosting a two-day summit on immunisation in Africa starting today.
"For Africa to achieve its full potential and secure a bright future we must unite to make sure that every child on the continent receives the vaccines he needs to survive and thrive," said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO's regional director for Africa.
"It is unacceptable that one in five African children lacks access to life-saving vaccines," she said.
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders said global pharmaceutical companies should be taken to task for charging "inflated vaccine prices" that keep the drugs out of reach of the world's poorest.
"If vaccine prices continue to spiral out of control, we will continue to see countries in Africa and around the world faced with difficult decisions about which deadly diseases they can and can't afford to protect their children against," said the charity.
Source- Times
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