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May 29, 2024 |
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| New pandemic threats will not wait for papers to be signed in Geneva. We call for more investment now in real-world systems which will detect threats, and which give every region the ability to develop and produce countermeasures, such as vaccines, to stop them.” - Helen Clark, former co-chair of the disbanded Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response in a statement |
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The World Health Assembly is underway in Geneva this week, but the long-awaited pandemic treaty is a no-show. Negotiations continued into the night ahead of the meeting, but without a consensus draft. Acknowledging that, Tedros told the assembly, “Of course, we all wish that we had been able to reach a consensus on the agreement in time for this health assembly and cross the finish line. But I remain confident that you still will — because where there is a will, there is a way. It’s now for this World Health Assembly to decide what that way is — meaning the solution is in your hands.” Via AP (US). A WHO press statement notes the member states agreed to continue to work during the World Health Assembly, which ends on 1 June, with the aim to…. Agree the timing, format and process to conclude the pandemic agreement.” The news was not unexpected, but was met with disappointment by many public health experts.
Alexandra Phelan and Lawrence O. Gostin write in a STAT (US) opinion piece, “The world urgently needs global rules for reducing the risk of another pandemic, whether from H5N1 or another threat. To prevent such a disaster, we need international law for exchanging scientific information in real time, equitably distributing drugs and vaccines, building global manufacturing capacity, and rebuilding trust between countries…. The next pandemic may be closer than we realize and extending the negotiations — whether six or 12 months — requires a careful balance between sufficient additional time to reach consensus and having a prepared international community.”
In a statement from the disbanded Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, former co-chair Helen Clark said, “New pandemic threats will not wait for papers to be signed in Geneva. We call for more investment now in real-world systems which will detect threats, and which give every region the ability to develop and produce countermeasures, such as vaccines, to stop them.”
If You Are in a Hurry
- Read Health Policy Watch on efforts to get amendments to the International Health Regulations adopted by the WHA.
- Read Times of India on how far apart countries are on the pandemic treaty.
- Read the good news about malaria vaccines in the Central African Republic in NPR’s Goats and Soda Blog.
- Read CIDRAP on plans for developing H5N1 vaccines.
- Read a WHO press release on a new framework for mpox control and prevention.
- Read Daily Maverick on pharma profiteering in South African COVID vaccine negotiations.
More on the Pandemic Treaty and the WHA
Health Policy Watch (Switzerland) reports, “A powerful lobby, including the US, Germany and New Zealand, are pushing for the amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) to be adopted by the close of the World Health Assembly (WHA) on Saturday. Weaknesses in the IHR, the only global rules guiding countries’ conduct in international public health emergencies, were exposed during the pandemic, prompting a two-year process to amend them…. It is unclear whether the African region will support completing the IHR amendments this week if its demand for the speedy conclusion of the pandemic agreement by the end of this year is not accepted.”
Times of India (India) reports, “Countries aired their differences Tuesday on where to go next on a landmark global agreement for handling future pandemics, after missing a deadline to finalise a deal. While nations were keen to build on progress made thus far and keep striving for an accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, fault lines emerged on charting the course to an eventual agreement. Africa and the United States were notably far apart on how long the process should take… African nations spoke as one to say they were keen to seize the momentum and get the agreement finished off in the coming months, while Washington urged countries to take their time to work towards the best possible deal, suggesting the process could take up to two years.”
The New York Times (US) quotes Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “’I’m still optimistic. I think the continent wants this agreement. I think the world wants this agreement.’ Once adopted, the treaty would set legally binding policies for member countries of the WHO, including the United States, on surveillance of pathogens, rapid sharing of outbreak data, and local manufacturing and supply chains for vaccines and treatments, among others.”
New Malaria Vaccines Arrive in Central African Republic
NPR’s Goats and Soda Blog reports, “The Central African Republic is the first country to receive thousands of doses of a new malaria vaccine first recommended by the World Health Organization last October. A total of 43,000 doses arrived by air today from UNICEF, and another 120,000 are scheduled to show up in the coming days. The vaccine — called R21/Matrix-M — will be used as part of children’s routine immunization. It comes as welcome news in a country plagued by one of the highest incidences of malaria worldwide; more than 1.7 million cases were reported in 2022
Cholera Worsens in Parts of Africa
Al Jazeera (Qatar) reports, “In Southern and East Africa, more than 6,000 people have died and nearly 350,000 cases have been reported since a series of cholera outbreaks began in late 2021. Malawi and Zambia have had their worst outbreaks on record. Zimbabwe has had multiple waves. Mozambique, Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia also have been badly affected. All have experienced floods or drought – or both…. “’He outbreaks are getting much larger because the extreme climate events are getting much more common,’ said Tulio de Oliveira, a South Africa-based scientist who studies diseases in the developing world.”
The Latest on H5N1 Flu
US officials are ramping up measures to detect and trace H5N1 in farm animals.
Reuters (UK) reports, “Bird flu virus particles were found in tissue samples taken from one dairy cow sent to slaughter at a U.S. meat processing plant, but none were detected in samples from 95 other cattle, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Friday. Meat from the animals was prevented from entering the nation's food supply, USDA said.
CNN (US) reports, “Highly pathogenic avian influenza, sometimes called bird flu, has been confirmed in alpacas for the first time, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories. The animals that tested positive were on a farm in Idaho where poultry had tested positive for the virus and were culled in May. The alpacas tested positive May 16, the USDA said in a news release.”
CIDRAP (US) reports the US Health and Human Services Department announced, “officials are moving forward with a plan to produce 4.8 million doses of H5N1 avian flu vaccine for pandemic preparedness. Dawn O'Connell, JD, said health officials have identified a manufacturing line at one of its manufacturing partners for fill-and-finish steps, without disrupting production of seasonal flu vaccine…. O'Connell added that active discussions are under way across federal agencies about what the key triggers would be for deploying H5N1 vaccine doses. She also said discussions are still under way with mRNA vaccine makers Pfizer and Moderna, with an announcement expected soon on how the companies might be involved in vaccine development.”
Reuters (UK) reports, “Feeding raw milk contaminated with bird flu to mice infected them with the virus, adding to evidence that consumption of unpasteurized milk is not safe for humans, according to a study published on Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Bird flu has caused serious or fatal infections globally among people in close contact with infected wild birds or poultry, and scientists have long viewed the virus as being capable of causing a global health crisis.
Reuters (UK) reports, “The United States and Europe are taking steps to acquire or manufacture H5N1 bird flu vaccines that could be used to protect at-risk poultry and dairy workers, veterinarians and lab technicians, government officials said, moves influenza experts say could curb the threat of a pandemic. U.S officials last week said they were moving bulk vaccine from CSL Seqirus that closely matches the current virus into finished shots that could provide 4.8 million doses of vaccine. European health officials told Reuters they were in talks to acquire CSL's prepandemic vaccine.
WHO Releases Framework for Mpox Prevention and Control
A WHO press release says, “A new framework released today by WHO will guide health authorities, communities and other stakeholders in preventing and controlling mpox outbreaks, eliminating human-to-human transmission of the disease, and reducing spillover of the virus from animals to humans. The Strategic framework for enhancing prevention and control of mpox (2024–2027) provides a roadmap for health authorities, communities, and stakeholders worldwide to control mpox outbreaks in every context, advance mpox research and access to countermeasures, and to minimize zoonotic transmission. Read the framework.
Citizen Journalist Who Reported on COVID in China Released
K24 (Kenya) reports, “Zhang Zhan, a citizen journalist, was released from prison after serving four years for charges related to reporting on the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China, according to a video statement she released Tuesday, eight days after her sentence ended, though there are concerns about how much freedom of movement she has. Zhang was sentenced to four years in prison on charges of ‘picking quarrels and provoking trouble,’ a vaguely defined charge often used in political cases, and served her full term. Yet, on the day of her release, her former lawyers could not reach her or her family. Shanghai police had paid visits to activists and her former lawyers in the days leading up to her release.”
New Information on South Africa COVID Vaccine Negotiations
Daily Maverick (South Africa) reports, “Analysts studying the contracts South Africa concluded for the Pfizer vaccine and negotiations with Moderna for the Spikevax vaccine have found many instances of corporate bullying and draconian and one-sided contracts — but also of South African officials standing up and demanding more transparency, the Health Justice Institute said… there is considerable evidence of corporate bullying, profiteering and draconian contracts in South Africa’s negotiations to procure Covid vaccines during the global public health emergency…. The vaccine prices were high, and the contracts needed to be made public as this ‘must have a bearing on current efforts underway in Geneva to negotiate a global Pandemic Accord’, the HJI’s Fatima Hassan said.”
South African Vaccine Company and mRNA Pioneer Partner
Semafor (US) reports, “South African biotech company Afrigen is collaborating with a Nobel Prize-winning scientist to develop groundbreaking gene therapy treatments that target diseases that have plagued Africa for decades. The Cape Town-based company is working with the University of Pennsylvania’s Drew Weissman, who won a Nobel Prize for developing mRNA vaccines used to fight COVID-19…. [Afrigen CEO Petro Terblanche] said Afrigen is developing a new generation of mRNA vaccines for a range of diseases including HIV, tuberculosis (TB), Rift Valley fever, and gonorrhea.”
Making Syringes for Africa and Beyond
The New York Times (US) profiles a Kenyan factory that “makes 300 million syringes a year, enough to meet more than half of Africa’s routine immunization needs.” The small factory “is helping to achieve one of Africa’s biggest health care goals: self-reliance…. Many of Africa’s attempts at medical self-reliance have been hampered by limited funds, the lack of a robust regulatory system and the challenges in transporting drugs and vaccines. Against that backdrop, Revital’s success offers hope that an African company can manufacture essential products — not just for the continent, but also for export to other countries.”
Childhood Vaccine Shortage Continues in Kenya
The Standard (Kenya) reports, “The Ministry of Health has moved to dispel fears of a looming crisis due to the ongoing acute shortage of essential vaccines, which has left children across the country vulnerable to deadly but preventable diseases. In a statement signed by Principal Secretary for Medical Services Harry Kimtai, the ministry acknowledged the gravity of the situation but proposed mitigation measures…. Donor-supported vaccines like those meant to prevent pneumococcal disease, rotavirus, HPV, and malaria can only last the country between three and six months. Dr Kimtai further outlined the ministry's urgent mitigation strategies, which include redistributing existing stocks nationwide.”
Long COVID in Communities of Color
The COVID pandemic laid bare many of the issues of health inequity in communities of color in the US. Now Washington Post (US) reports, “It has been four years since covid began burdening people with lingering symptoms often dismissed by mystified medical providers who were dubious and unwilling to help — especially when treating patients of color, according to clinicians and public health researchers…. It’s bad enough patients of color are coping with a debilitating illness, they said. It’s all the more devastating, they said, to feel like they’re being erased — from medical records, public imagination and policy considerations. Researchers say that in many cases, people are not even being formally diagnosed, meaning they’re suffering and not getting help.” |
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