West Africa Unite in Abidjan to Fast-Track Lassa Fever Vaccine and Strengthen Epidemic Preparedness

West Africa Unite in Abidjan to Fast-Track Lassa Fever Vaccine and Strengthen Epidemic Preparedness

The 2nd ECOWAS Lassa Fever International Conference (#ELFIC 2025) concluded this Thursday 11 September 2025 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, after four days of high-level discussions, knowledge sharing, and strategic commitments. The gathering brought together more than 800 policymakers, scientists, health professionals, and development partners from across West Africa and beyond to confront one of the…

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Africa: WHO Africa, International Vaccine Institute Sign Agreement to Boost Vaccine Production in Africa

Africa: WHO Africa, International Vaccine Institute Sign Agreement to Boost Vaccine Production in Africa

Lusaka — The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen their strategic collaboration in support of vaccine equity, local production, and health innovation across the region. Signed on the sidelines of the Seventy-fifth Session of the WHO Regional Committee…

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West Africa Unite in Abidjan to Fast-Track Lassa Fever Vaccine and Strengthen Epidemic Preparedness

West Africa: Strengthening Lassa Fever Vaccine Research and Trial Capacity in West Africa

In West Africa, Lassa fever remains a persistent and recurring health threat, causing hundreds of lives each year and underscoring urgent need for sustained investment in research and vaccine manufacturing capacity. In the first five months of 2025 alone, Nigeria reported over 717 confirmed cases and 138 deaths, highlighting the escalating risk and the critical…

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West Africa Unite in Abidjan to Fast-Track Lassa Fever Vaccine and Strengthen Epidemic Preparedness

Africa: Vaccine Hesitancy – How Social and Technological Issues Converged to Spawn Mistrust

The rise in vaccine-preventable diseases around the world is threatening decades of progress in public health and putting millions of people at risk. The decline in vaccination coverage in the United States illustrates the global problem. Rates of most routine vaccinations recommended for children by age 24 months by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices,…

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West Africa Unite in Abidjan to Fast-Track Lassa Fever Vaccine and Strengthen Epidemic Preparedness

Africa: Liberia’s Public Health Boss Joins Africa CDC Workshop On Mpox Vaccine Strategy in Addis Ababa

Addis Ababa — The Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, is leading a Liberian delegation to a high-level workshop organized by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in Addis Ababa. According to an NPHIL release, the workshop aims to develop a coordinated…

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West Africa Unite in Abidjan to Fast-Track Lassa Fever Vaccine and Strengthen Epidemic Preparedness

Africa: Emergency Vaccine Response Has Cut Infectious Disease Deaths By Nearly 60 Percent Since 2000

Geneva — Researchers at Burnet Institute, in collaboration with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, have provided the world’s first ever look at the historical impact of emergency vaccination efforts on public health and global health security, with a comprehensive study of 210 outbreaks of five infectious diseases – cholera, Ebola, measles, meningitis and yellow fever –…

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RFK Jr.’s halt to U.S. funding for Gavi vaccine alliance a “travesty and a nightmare,” experts warn

RFK Jr.’s halt to U.S. funding for Gavi vaccine alliance a “travesty and a nightmare,” experts warn

Johannesburg — Every four years, representatives to the global alliance of governments, pharmaceutical makers, United Nations agencies and philanthropic organizations known as Gavi, which helps get vaccines to people who need them, meet to lock in new funding pledges. Just as this year’s meeting in Brussels was drawing to a close on Wednesday, U.S. Health Secretary…

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