AFRICA: Experts seek sustained immunisation drive against vaccine-preventable diseases

By Sola Ogundipe
Worried by the rising cases of Vaccine-preventable diseases, African immunisation experts under the aegis of the African Regional Immunisation Technical Advisory Group (RITAG), have called for concrete action to stem the tide of vaccine-preventable diseases in the WHO African Region.

Making the call at the end of its two-day meeting in Dakar, Senegal, to discuss the state of immunisation in the region, the group noted that while Africa has made tremendous gains towards increasing access to immunisation in the last 15 years, progress has stagnated, leaving 1 in 5 African children without access to life-saving vaccines.

Measles alone, they, noted, accounts for approximately 61,000 preventable deaths in the region every year. The RITAG serves as the principal advisory group to the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, on regional immunisation policies and programmes.

“We know that immunisation is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions and that ensuring universal access can drive real progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

We’ve made good progress – but now is the time to up our game,” said Senegal’s Minister of Health and Social Action, Dr Awa Marie Coll-Seck.
In her opening remarks at the RITAG meeting, Coll-Seck stated:

“Senegal is proud to have hosted this important meeting, aimed at ensuring that all children across Africa have access to the vaccines they need to survive and thrive.”

• Success in halting the spread of the wild polio virus through immunisation is one of the significant milestones in Nigeria’s health history since independence.

Over the course of the meeting, RITAG members explored a range of pressing issues, including the recent yellow fever epidemic in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; progress towards eliminating measles, rubella and maternal and neonatal tetanus; as well as polio eradication efforts, including planning for adequate, uninterrupted financing of immunisation services once eradication programs ramp down.

Among its deliberations, the RITAG members noted the need to better understand drivers of stagnating progress in immunisation coverage trends, integration of immunization services into the broader health systems strengthening agenda and the importance of increasing community-level engagement.

“The conversations showed that we have all the tools to make sure every child in our countries has a healthy start in life,” said WHO Country Representative for Senegal, Dr Deo Nshimirimana.

“If we continue our work in earnest, I am sure we will be able to make greater progress in the upcoming years.”

At the end of the two-day meeting, RITAG Chair Professor Helen Rees presented the committee’s draft recommendations to advance the immunisation agenda in the region for the WHO Regional Director’s consideration.

“RITAG has discussed some of the biggest challenges – and opportunities – facing immunisation programs across Africa, and we have developed a game plan that can take our collective efforts to the next level. I am confident that, together, we can make tremendous progress toward ensuring universal access to immunization in the coming years,” said Rees.

The RITAG members will reconvene in six months to evaluate progress and reassess their recommendations.

In February 2016, ministers from 49 African countries signed the Addis Declaration on immunisation, which includes 10 commitments aimed at ensuring all children in Africa receive the full benefits of immunisation. WHO, in collaboration with key partners, is currently developing a road map to guide the implementation of this Declaration.