Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.
------------------------------------------------------------
September 20, 2002
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Cheap Vaccine Sought for Africa"
New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (09/20/02) P. A9
Dr. David Heymann, head of communicable diseases at the World Health Organization (WHO), emphasized on Thursday the urgency of getting cheaper, safe, and effective vaccines to the people living in the "meningitis belt" of Africa. A new strain of meningitis, W135, threatens millions of lives from Senegal to Ethiopia; already this year Burkina Faso has recorded 12,000 cases of meningitis, with 1,500 deaths. While a vaccine that offers protection against four strains of meningitis, including W135, costs about $5 in the Middle East and as much as $50 a dose in the United States, activists are calling on drug makers to produce a version at about $1 per dose. The WHO, private and government agencies, and vaccine manufacturers Aventis, Chiron, and GlaxoSmithKline will meet in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, next week to discuss the issues of high vaccine prices and fears of emerging epidemics.
ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND
MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.