* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Three recent outbreaks of yellow fever—in Angola, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—mobilized massive efforts by national and global partners to control and stop the spread of disease. These outbreaks reminded us once again that access to vaccines—one of the most powerful and cost-effective health interventions—is crucial to stopping serious public health threats, preventing deadly illnesses, and saving precious health resources.
Globally, vaccines save the lives of an estimated 2 to 3 million children each year. Vaccines enable Africa’s youngest citizens to lead happy and healthy lives. However, 1 in 5 African children still do not have access to essential, lifesaving vaccines.
African leaders have long pledged to do more to protect the health of their countries’ most vulnerable populations. There is progress with a recent Africa-wide commitment to immunization that includes a call for countries to prioritize investments in vaccines and broader coverage that reaches every child. Through cooperation and advocacy, we have notable actions in our countries to highlight.
Progress under way: across Africa, in DRC, and Uganda
Earlier this year, at the first-ever Ministerial Conference on Immunization in Africa, leaders from across the African continent endorsed the Addis Declaration on Immunization to prioritize domestic investments for vaccine purchase and immunization equity. The political will witnessed through this declaration is undeniable, and has translated into progress at the national level.
In DRC, health advocates and key stakeholders worked with the Congolese government to disburse US$1.9 million, a portion of a cofinancing commitment, to support the purchase of vaccines for Congolese families. The disbursement is an important milestone in the national effort to protect women, newborns, and children from vaccine-preventable diseases.
In Uganda, the advocacy efforts of civil society organizations and other key partners successfully led to the enactment of the Immunization Act 2016. This landmark national immunization law calls for increased community support for immunization and establishes an immunization fund to secure additional resources to address immunization coverage gaps.
Across our continent, advocates have successfully improved political will for continuous and increased investments in immunization. In DRC and Uganda, advocates are at the forefront of making the case for why robust investment in immunization has far-reaching benefits.
However, the work is far from over. We must continue to hold our governments accountable for their promises to protect every child from preventable diseases and death.
Domestic-funding shortfalls keep vaccines from reaching communities
Research clearly shows that immunization investments yield significant health and productivity returns. Yet massive resource shortages continue to hinder access to immunization programs, particularly in rural areas of DRC and Uganda. In DRC, supply chain problems have forced health centers in some communities to stop immunization delivery when vaccines are not properly stored and lose their potency. In Uganda, inconsistent funding for vaccine delivery from the districts to health centers has resulted in shortages in remote communities, limiting access to these lifesaving tools.
At PATH, an international health organization that works to save lives and improve health through innovation, we have joined with parliamentarians, civil society organizations, and other partners to urge our leaders to include immunization financing as a mandatory budget expenditure in the DRC’s draft health law. In Uganda, we are working with partners to advocate for increased investments for the newly established immunization fund. In both countries, these investments are crucial to sustain a robust immunization program that will get vaccines safely from the national level to health clinics, and then to those who need them most: our mothers, babies, and children.
Working together to close the immunization gap
We all have a role to play to ensure that every Congolese, every Ugandan, and every African realizes the highest standards of health and well-being.
We call on our respective governments to honor their commitments to well-supported and robust immunization programs and for the Addis Declaration to be featured at the African Union Summit this January. The progress made in our countries is commendable, but we must continue to hold our governments accountable for their promises, and work together to close the immunization gap, until all of our mothers and children are protected from preventable diseases.
Brian Atuhaire is a program officer at PATH Uganda and Guy Bokongo is a senior policy & advocacy officer at PATH Democratic Republic of the Congo.
