Emergency vaccines slash deaths by 60%: Study - Health - Life & Style
The Gavi vaccine alliance, which backed the study, said it collaborated with researchers at Burnet Institute in Australia to provide the world's first look at the historical impact of emergency immunization efforts on public health and global health security.
'For the first time, we are able to comprehensively quantify the benefit, in human and economic terms, of deploying vaccines against outbreaks of some of the deadliest infectious diseases,' Gavi chief Sania Nishtar said in a statement.
'This study demonstrates clearly the power of vaccines as a cost-effective countermeasure to the increasing risk the world faces from outbreaks.'
The study, published this week in the British Medical Journal Global Health, examined 210 outbreaks of five infectious diseases — cholera, Ebola, measles, meningitis and yellow fever — in 49 lower-income countries between 2000 and 2023.
Vaccine roll-outs in these settings had a dramatic impact, with the study showing they reduced both the number of infections and deaths by almost 60 percent across the five diseases.
For some of the diseases the effect was far more dramatic.
Vaccination was shown to decrease deaths during yellow fever outbreaks by a full 99 percent, and 76 percent for Ebola.
At the same time, emergency vaccination significantly reduced the threat of outbreaks expanding.
It also estimated that the immunization efforts carried out during the 210 outbreaks generated nearly $32 billion in economic benefits just from averting deaths and years of life lost to disability.
That amount was however likely to be a significant underestimate of overall savings, it said, pointing out that it did not take into account outbreak response costs or the social and macro-economic impacts of disruptions created by large outbreaks.
The massive Ebola outbreak that hit West Africa in 2014, before the existence of approved vaccines, for instance saw cases pop up worldwide and is estimated to have cost the West African countries alone more than $53 billion.
The study comes after the WHO warned in April that outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis, and yellow fever are on the rise globally amid misinformation and cuts to international aid.
Gavi, which helps vaccinate more than half the world's children against infectious diseases, is itself currently trying to secure a fresh round of funding in the face of the global aid cuts and after Washington last month announced it would stop backing the group.
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Al-Ahram Weekly
15-07-2025
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Emergency vaccines slash deaths by 60%: Study - Health - Life & Style
A similar number of infections are also believed to have been prevented, while billions of euros have been generated in estimated economic benefit. The Gavi vaccine alliance, which backed the study, said it collaborated with researchers at Burnet Institute in Australia to provide the world's first look at the historical impact of emergency immunization efforts on public health and global health security. 'For the first time, we are able to comprehensively quantify the benefit, in human and economic terms, of deploying vaccines against outbreaks of some of the deadliest infectious diseases,' Gavi chief Sania Nishtar said in a statement. 'This study demonstrates clearly the power of vaccines as a cost-effective countermeasure to the increasing risk the world faces from outbreaks.' The study, published this week in the British Medical Journal Global Health, examined 210 outbreaks of five infectious diseases — cholera, Ebola, measles, meningitis and yellow fever — in 49 lower-income countries between 2000 and 2023. Vaccine roll-outs in these settings had a dramatic impact, with the study showing they reduced both the number of infections and deaths by almost 60 percent across the five diseases. For some of the diseases the effect was far more dramatic. Vaccination was shown to decrease deaths during yellow fever outbreaks by a full 99 percent, and 76 percent for Ebola. At the same time, emergency vaccination significantly reduced the threat of outbreaks expanding. It also estimated that the immunization efforts carried out during the 210 outbreaks generated nearly $32 billion in economic benefits just from averting deaths and years of life lost to disability. That amount was however likely to be a significant underestimate of overall savings, it said, pointing out that it did not take into account outbreak response costs or the social and macro-economic impacts of disruptions created by large outbreaks. The massive Ebola outbreak that hit West Africa in 2014, before the existence of approved vaccines, for instance saw cases pop up worldwide and is estimated to have cost the West African countries alone more than $53 billion. The study comes after the WHO warned in April that outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis, and yellow fever are on the rise globally amid misinformation and cuts to international aid. Gavi, which helps vaccinate more than half the world's children against infectious diseases, is itself currently trying to secure a fresh round of funding in the face of the global aid cuts and after Washington last month announced it would stop backing the group. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Egypt Today
22-05-2025
- Egypt Today
Egypt's Health Min., GAVI chairman talk expanding vaccine manufacturing
Vaccines - file CAIRO - 22 May 2025: Egyptian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, met with Mr. José Manuel Barroso, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), and a number of GAVI representatives, to discuss implementing mechanisms that contribute to expanding vaccine manufacturing. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva. Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, said in a statement released by the ministry that the meeting aimed to exchange ideas and visions on implementing policies that would expand the promotion of vaccine manufacturing in Egypt and African countries, as well as to discuss mechanisms for expanding vaccination and primary healthcare services. He added that the two sides discussed cooperation to enhance expanded immunization programs, as well as exchanging ideas to improve primary healthcare systems. They also agreed to cooperate between Egypt and Gavi to ensure equitable access to vaccinations in Africa and the Middle East and North Africa region. The meeting was attended by Dr. Amr Kandil, Deputy Minister of Health and Population; Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (Gavi); and Dr. Richard Mihigo, Director of Programmatic and Strategic Engagement with the African Union and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
Al-Ahram Weekly
27-04-2025
- Al-Ahram Weekly
UN warns vaccine-preventable diseases on the rise globally - Health - Life & Style
Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis, and yellow fever are on the rise globally amid misinformation and cuts to international aid, the United Nations and the Gavi vaccine alliance warned. 'Vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives over the past five decades,' WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement. 'Funding cuts to global health have put these hard-won gains in jeopardy.' Tedros added that the increasing outbreaks around the world are 'putting lives at risk and exposing countries to increased costs in treating diseases.' Measles, for example, is making an 'especially dangerous comeback,' with cases rising every year since 2021 and reaching an estimated 10.3 million in 2023, which is a 20 percent increase since 2022. The organizations believe that the trend is likely to have continued into 2024 and 2025. In the past 12 months, 138 countries have reported measles cases, with 61 experiencing large or disruptive outbreaks—the highest number observed in any 12-month period since 2019, according to the statement. The joint statement was signed by the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and Gavi, and was released Wednesday at the start of World Immunization Week, which runs April 24–30. Cases of meningitis and yellow fever have also increased significantly in Africa in 2024, it said. The spikes are taking place amid rising misinformation, population growth, and humanitarian crises. Meanwhile, funding cuts jeopardize progress and leave millions of children and adults at risk, the groups said, without explicitly mentioning a drastic reduction in US humanitarian aid under President Donald Trump. 'The global funding crisis is severely limiting our ability to vaccinate more than 15 million vulnerable children in fragile and conflict-affected countries against measles,' added UNICEF chief Catherine Russell. Even as countries attempt to catch up on their immunization backlogs following the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of children missing routine vaccinations has continued to rise. In 2023, an estimated 14.5 million children missed all of their routine vaccine doses, up from 13.9 million in 2022. In this context, Gavi is calling for at least $9 billion in funding ahead of its June 25 pledging summit 'to protect 500 million children, saving at least 8 million lives from 2026–2030.' Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
