WHO, in a statement posted on its website, stated that
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Save the Children and UN Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) also welcomed the development.
According to the statement, health partners welcome landmark
pricing agreement through Humanitarian Mechanism, urging more manufacturers to
follow suit.
“Children living in refugee camps, displaced communities or
in other emergency situations now have a better chance of being protected against
severe diarrhoeal disease with these lower price rotavirus vaccines.
“Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of death among
children under five; the agreement makes use of the multi-partner Humanitarian
Mechanism, launched in 2017.
“Rotavirus vaccine is the second vaccine to be accessed
through the scheme, which depends on manufacturers making their vaccines
available at their lowest price for use in emergencies – across countries of
all income levels.
“The first to be made available was the pneumococcal
vaccine.’’
The statement quoted Dr Kate O’Brien, Director of
Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals at WHO, as saying “we welcome this
engagement from manufacturers.
“We hope it will be a step towards making more vaccines
available in the future at affordable prices.
“It is unacceptable that some of the most at-risk children
are not vaccinated against devastating diseases like rotavirus because of lack
of availability or high costs”.
According to the statement, rotavirus is the most common
cause of severe diarrhoeal disease in children under five years globally,
responsible for up to 200,000 child deaths each year.
It stated that children in refugee camps and displaced
communities were among the most vulnerable in the world to such diseases, due
to population density, poor hygiene and sanitation, and higher rates of
malnutrition.
“Vaccination is therefore especially critical for these
children, who may otherwise lack access to essential health services.
“The Humanitarian Mechanism facilitates access to vaccines
for humanitarian organisations working in countries affected by emergencies,
where access and prices have otherwise been a bottleneck.’’
The statement quoted Rachel Cummings, Director of the
Humanitarian Public Health Team at Save the Children, as saying “every day
across the globe, children die.
“Children die because they are critically weakened by
diarrhoea – it’s one of the biggest killers of young children in the world.
“Save the Children is seeing the devastating impacts the
rotavirus has on children every day, so we welcome this important commitment as
a vital step in protecting some of the most vulnerable children from
life-threatening, yet easily preventable diseases.
“Money should never be a barrier between life and death”.
Since 2017, nearly one million doses of pneumococcal vaccine
have been approved for use by civil society organisations through the Mechanism
in 12 countries.
The countries are Algeria, Central African Republic, Chad,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Greece, Kenya, Lebanon, Niger,
Nigeria, South Sudan and Syria.
According to the UN health agency, the pneumococcal vaccine
protects against childhood pneumonia, also a leading cause of childhood deaths
during emergencies.
“Once secured through the Mechanism, the vaccines are
offered to humanitarian organisations working in camps and other emergency
settings, who can make applications to access the vaccine at these lower
prices.’’
The statement also quoted Miriam Alia, Vaccination and
Outbreak Response Referent at MSF, as saying “the Humanitarian Mechanism has
already expanded the number of children who can receive lifesaving vaccines.
“But, to reach its full potential and save more lives, MSF
calls on manufacturers to commit additional vaccines and to allow governments
hosting children in humanitarian emergencies to access the vaccines too.
“Children everywhere, no matter where they live, should have
access to lifesaving vaccinations.
“We know that it is critical for us to expand the reach and
breadth of immunisation coverage among communities affected by humanitarian
crises to meet our goal of immunisation equity in the next decade”.
Similarly, the statement further quoted Robin Nandy,
UNICEF’s Principal Advisor and Chief of Immunisation as saying: “These
communities bear the brunt of preventable morbidity and mortality.
“They have disproportionately suffered from programme
disruptions as a result of the pandemic.
“We very much welcome this initiative which further expands
access to rotavirus vaccine at affordable prices for populations in need.”
NAN
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